County Council Budget Goes Almost £12million in the red!

6.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 11th Aug 2006

"We told the Conservative administration last February that their budget was not realistic and could not be delivered and in just 3 months we have been proved right" Cllr Brian Hoare

Three months into the financial year and a report going to the NCC cabinet shows that the Conservative administration is failing to deliver the budget they set in February. The report identifies almost £12million of overspend and this will put more services under threat and create problems next year when the Council's reserves will have to be replenished.

Lib Dem Councillor Brian Hoare says:

• "We told the Conservative administration last February that their budget was not realistic and could not be delivered and in just 3 months we have been proved right"

• "In their first year of office the Conservative Administration overspent by £5 million but blamed the previous Labour Administration for poor budgeting. They can no longer use this excuse as this is a Tory Budget and they are not delivering it"

• "This Conservative administration claimed that they would not tolerate overspends last year but failed to control the budget. We are seeing an even worst situation this year. They have shown themselves unable to control their budget and it will be the citizens of Northamptonshire who will bear the cost"

In the Cabinet Report the County's Director for Business Support said; 'There remains a significant risk that it may prove not to be possible to deliver some of the planning savings within 2006-07'

The same Cabinet Report states that the County are being forced to find £5.1 million pounds of savings to offset this overspend but have fails to identify where these savings will be made.

At the Cabinet Meeting the Liberal Democrats will be demanding to know how, and where from, the further £5.1million of savings will be made, and what impact the removal of £6.8million from reserves will have on next year's budget.

Note to editors:

The figures quoted above are taken from pages 94/95 of the Cabinet Report.