County Council Budget Overspend a bad sign for next year

9.13.00am GMT Tue 12th Dec 2006

Cllr. Richard Church, Leader of the Northamptonshire County Council Liberal Democrat Group

Regular monthly monitoring of the Conservative County Council budget has shown that they are spending far in excess of the Council Tax increase of 3% set last February, and so far this financial year they have had to make additional spending cuts (which were not in the budget) of £8.4 million. In addition they are having to take £4.7million out of the reserves to make the budget balance. Total unplanned overspend therefore: £13.1million. *

Leader of the Liberal Democrat County Councillors, Richard Church says: "It is against this background of a failed budget plan that the Conservatives will be setting out their proposals for 2007/2008. They need to learn from the lessons of this year, and not include savings in the budget that cannot be delivered. They also need to reconsider the level of council tax that they are planning to set. If they stick to their present policy of "no higher than inflation" despite a poor government settlement, then they will have to make even more swingeing cuts in front line services than those already made this year in Care Services."