Council pledges to tackle predicted £6.5m overspend

The council has been warned it is facing an overspend of millions of pounds

A council is set to tighten its belt after a report predicted it was set to overspend by £6.5m by the end of the financial year.

Wiltshire Council said it would save money by not filling empty roles and by chasing up unpaid debts.

The council's member for finance, Gavin Grant, said he was confident the authority's finances would be "bang on" by the end of the financial year.

Mr Grant said: "We're determined that nothing will suffer but that we get excellent value for money for the taxpayers of Wiltshire and that every penny is spent as efficiently as it possibly can be."

He said council departments would focus on savings.

"So if a post is not needed and is empty then we are not going to be recruiting for it," he said.

He added that the authority would also "ensure that those people who owe money to the council pay up".

Finance member Gavin Grant is confident the authority's finances will be "bang on"

The report, by council chief Lucy Townsend, and resources director Lizzie Watkin, said the position would have to be monitored carefully to ensure the "required result" was delivered.

It added that the forecast could change and suggested the deficit could be managed.

Now officers are looking to see if the council can bring forward savings due to be made next financial year or expand those due this year.