SPENDING figures from the first part of the council year show most Blackburn with Darwen Council deparments are at risk of going over budget.
The council has detailed each department's spending for 2018/19 so far in a corporate revenue budget monitoring report, comparing it to what it planned to spend.
Most departments are in danger of overspending and are having to take measures to bring costs back into line.
Health and Adult Social Care is anticipated to be around £485,000 over budget due to increased demand and the increased cost of care packages.
Children’s Services, Schools and Education is projected to overspend by £776,500 against the cash limited
budget.
According to the report, this is based on current levels of demand, which may fluctuate during the year, as well as pressures on the Special Educational Needs transport budget.
The Environment department Environment has highlighted significant cost pressures in relation to waste (£237,000) and a £563,000 shortfall on income.
But senior figures say the income shortfall will be addressed as new car parks at Old Bank Lane and the Brown Street extension become operational later in the financial year.
Leisure, Culture and Young People has identified cost pressures of £738,000 in relation to leisure centres and pools.
More than £250,000 of these pressures are non-recurring and the remaining £483,000 are from staffing and running costs at Blackburn, Witton and Darwen Leisure Centres.
According to the report, options to address these ongoing pressures are currently under consideration.
Neighbourhoods & Prevention has identified cost pressures of £194,000 arising from potential shortfalls in income in respect of the renewal of the Employability & Health contract, CCTV and temporary housing
accommodation.
The portfolio is currently looking at options to negate the impact of these pressures including investigation of alternative income streams and rebasing the current income targets.
Maintenance of the highways and pot hole repairs, following the extended winter that continued into
the new financial year, have given rise to a £310,000 cost pressure on the Regeneration budgets.
In addition, running costs and income shortfalls on the markets have added a further £280,000 to this.
But department chiefs say action has been taken to mitigate most of these pressures through savings identified and by the re-alignment of budgets, meaning the portfolio is currently predicting to break even position by the
year end.
The Resources portfolio has identified cost pressures for the year which it is working hard to contain including
pressures on the Legal Services budget from the increase in the number of childcare legal cases, and
other prosecutions.
Public Health is projected to break even in 2018/19 based on the position at the end of the first quarter
of the year.
The report will be discussed by the council's executive board when it meets on Thursday.
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