£6.7 million overspend forecast at wiltshire council

A £6.7 million budget overspend by the end of the financial year has been forecast by Wiltshire Council.

The council’s Cabinet heard on Wednesday 16th September that the spiralling cost of looking after vulnerable adults and children is a major contributor to the problem.

Increased staffing costs are also weighing heavily on council finances.

A report to councillors says an £688,000 overspend in adult social care is due to the complex needs of some residents supported by the council.

“This includes young people as they transition from children to adult social care; people with complex autism and learning disabilities; and older people with dementia and other health-related issues,” says the report.

The overspend in children’s services and education is forecast to be £948,000.

“Where eligible, children and young people aged 5-16 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are entitled to free home-to-school transport.

“Forecast expenditure is currently £0.369 million above budget,” says the report.

In transport and highways, which is forecast to overspend by £458,000, “additional pressures relate to Traffic Regulation Order advertising and consultancy costs for site inspections, technical checks and drainage application reviews.”

And in the waste division, the forecast overspend is £854,000, with a mechanical breakdown at the waste sorting facility in Westbury in July cited as a significant contributing factor.

A projected overspend of £2.95 million in the council’s corporate costs is “due to some planned savings proving difficult to deliver and higher financing costs, adding further pressure to the council’s budget.”

The council has also given an update on its savings programme performance. It set a savings target of £27.7 million in 2026/27 – the largest in the council’s history.

So far, more than £9.5 million of savings have already been delivered, with a further £10.2 million expected to be achieved.

However, the council says there is some uncertainty around whether the remaining £8 million of identified savings can be fully delivered this year.

Gavin Grant, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for finance, said, “An overspend, whether forecast or actual, is something we take very seriously, and my Cabinet colleagues and I will continue to work closely with senior officers and our hardworking staff to drive financial improvements.

“There are areas where we can and will do better.”

The projected overspend represents 1.2 per cent of the council’s £568 million budget.