Budget black hole is narrowing, says Nottinghamshire councillor

Councillor Richard Jackson said many residents were open to paying more tax

Nottinghamshire County Council says it has made progress on closing its budget gap.

The Conservative-led authority had predicted a £60.2m overspend over the next three years but this has been revised down to £54m.

It is expecting to be able to balance its budget for the 2024-25 financial year, which has a current estimated shortfall of £5.4m.

But it still faces a total £54m funding gap for the three years to 2026-27.

A report released by the council recommends future council tax rises of 2.99% by April.

It adds that savings could be achieved by focusing more on "prevention" of problems, reducing the demand for emergency need.

A final decision on the budget will take place next month at a meeting of the full council.

The council has invited residents to give feedback on its financial problems

Speaking about the budget consultation, councillor Richard Jackson, cabinet member for finance at the council, said: "We have consulted people across Nottinghamshire and the results are quite interesting - people would rather see council tax increases rather than cuts... but we haven't made a final decision."

The council previously estimated by 2026-27 it would need to spend £60.2m more than its predicted income, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Jackson added the £54m budget gap ran over the next three years, but the council had made progress in balancing the books.

"We always try to make savings through efficiency rather than reducing or stopping services that people rely on," he said.

"We are reluctant to increase council tax if at all possible by the maximum amount but it is a balance on the services we provide and the cost of living.

"I'm confident and we do have a good track record, of making efficiencies and changing the way we do things constantly in transforming our services."