CASH-strapped Warrington Borough Council is working hard to bridge a £22m gap in its budget for next year.
The council has submitted a report to the scrutiny committee outlining the position and the various challenges it faces to balance its books for the coming year.
Squeezed on both sides by a combination of escalating costs and reduced funding from central government, the council has already saved more than £94 million since 2010.
Town Hall chiefs say that among other things, the bill for adult social care continues to rise while at the same time the government has again decided to award Warrington the lowest settlement funding position in the North West.
Warrington has the fifth lowest council tax in the North West and owing to the two per cent referendum limit, is only able to raise its Band D council tax by £24.11 compared to neighbouring Stockport who can charge an additional £27.94 for a Band D household.
This discrepancy compared to other local authorities equates to a shortfall of £34m, Warrington says.
The council adopted an outcomes based budgeting approach in 2014/15 and says this has proven effective in providing a long term strategic and sustainable financial plan.
It will enable the council to operate in a way that works better, costs less and focuses on delivering outcomes which put residents first. It puts accountability and innovations at the heart of what the council does and is focused around its pledges of “Growing a Strong Warrington”.
The council will consult on the proposals before a second report goes to the scrutiny committee in early February, ahead of the full council meeting at the end of that month.
Cllr Russ Bowden (pictured), lead member for corporate finance said: “Yet again the council is facing a challenging budget and some tough decisions will need to be made.
“However, residents can be assured that we are working hard to identify every practical way of delivering on our pledges of growing a strong Warrington.
“We have a track record of innovation and delivering value for money and I’m confident that will continue that despite the challenging budget position.”
