Suffolk County Council: Essential services funding 'not sustainable'

Suffolk County Council is forecast to overspend its £688.1m annual budget by about 4%

A council's deputy leader has warned its current funding was "not sustainable" for the delivery of several essential services.

Suffolk County Council's Richard Rout made the warning with the authority forecast to overspend its yearly £688.1m budget by 4%, totalling £29.3m.

The overspend will be offset by a section 31 grant and pooling business rates, but still in excess of £22.3m.

The council's cabinet will meet to discuss its budget on 12 September.

Mr Rout, who is also the Conservative-controlled council's cabinet member for finance and environment, said the overspending was a result of the UK's uncertain economic state coupled with high demand for certain services.

"In Suffolk, we need to start thinking about how we reduce these overspends in these key areas," he said.

It is thought councils across the UK are expected to be £5.2bn short of balancing their budgets by April 2026.

'Political budgets'

The bulk of the excess spending comes from school transport and children in care, making up two-thirds of the total, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It includes the transport of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), an increasing number of which also require 24-hour assistance from multiple carers, totalling £22,700 per week, per child.

Green councillor Robert Lindsay, the financial spokesperson for Suffolk County Council's opposition group, said the issue was the result of Conservative-led "political budgets".

He said: "We proposed an alternative budget in February, which wouldn't cover the entire deficit but would've raised an extra £3.4m by not capping the increase in council tax.

"There aren't any more cuts to be made, they've cut everything to the bone — I worry deeply that they won't even be able to provide statutory services.

"Locally, Conservatives have to accept some responsibility." he said.