Conservative-run council to hold budget crisis talks amid concerns children and adult services at risk

'This is as near as possible to being without parallel in modern times'

(Getty)

A troubled Conservative-led council is to hold budget crisis talks amid concerns it will no longer be able to sustain services for vulnerable children and adult social care.

It follows the unprecedented action by Northamptonshire county of imposing emergency spending controls for the second time in six months last week in a bid to balance the books – the first local authority to do so in around 20 years.

Councillors were informed the situation was of an “extremely serious nature” and a projected budget shortfall of £60m-70m was forecast for the current financial year.

At an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, council chiefs will discuss how they divide the budget for services over the rest of the year, with the leader proposing services are cut back to the “core offer”.

Leader Matthew Golby warned the council may face having to decide “what we can realistically provide and how we can help to create resilience in places where the council can no longer step in”.

He said in a discussion paper published ahead of the meeting: “With so much already taken out of our budget and more still to save, the County Council now needs to articulate, in the form of a core offer, the realistic level of service we are likely to provide, not merely to meet our statutory duties but to meet real local need.

“We will also contribute towards early intervention where this will prevent, delay or reduce need and where not to do so would lead to a direct increase in cost.”

Councils in England and Wales have a legal duty to provide frontline services such as protecting vulnerable children and adults, but Professor Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, told The Guardian that the council’s position was virtually unprecedented in contemporary Britain.

He said that, in order to make cuts to balance its budget as required by law, it would also breach its statutory duty to provide core services, such as those for vulnerable children or elderly and disabled adults.

“This is as near as possible to being without parallel in modern times,” he added.

Commenting on the council’s decision to issue its second 114 notice last week – immediately banning any new expenditure – a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “It is essential residents are able to have faith in their council, particularly in the responsible use of taxpayers’ money.

“The financial challenges facing the council are clearly serious and reinforce how important it was that we took swift action to appoint commissioners.

“These commissioners will continue to work closely with the council as it takes the necessary steps to rebalance its finances.”