Worthing Borough Council reviews services because of overspend
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Worthing Borough Council said it narrowly avoided bankruptcy after a £2.1 million overspend last year
A West Sussex council is reviewing services because of a forecasted £1.8m overspend.
It follows a £2.1million overspend in the 2022-23 budget, when Worthing Borough Council "narrowly" avoided bankruptcy.
Beccy Cooper, leader of the Labour-run council, said the authority was facing "financial challenges".
She said sale of the council's assets and digitalisation of its services could help rebalance the budget.
The council funded the shortfall in 2022-23 by using money from reserves, reducing them to £300,000 which is now proposed to be used for this year's budget.
Ms Cooper said years of "poor handling" of the council by the previous Tory administration and cuts in funding from national government, along with homelessness and the cost of living crisis, were contributing to "increasing pressure on reducing resources".
Council-wide review
She said: "Worthing Borough Council, alongside many other local authorities, is facing financial challenges, thanks to 13 years of underfunding from this national government.
"For 13 years, demand for front-line local government services has increased as our communities have seen their own incomes reduced and the price of living increase," she said.
"We are currently undertaking a council-wide financial review, analysing all aspects of our spending to make sure that we are working as effectively and efficiently as possible."
Conservative councillor Elizabeth Sparkes said overspending and "plundering" of the town's reserves were causing financial instability.
She said her party had left the council in a "strong and robust" position before losing power in 2022.
The sale of the council's assets and digitalisation of its services, Ms Cooper said, would hopefully help rebalance the budget in the coming year, but noted it could only sell assets once, and the 2024-25 outlook "remains very difficult".
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