Brighton and Hove’s budget shortfall has been cut down to £17.2 million, thanks to new government funding and cost-saving measures
Brighton: The council’s budget gap has shrunk from £36 million to £17.2 million. This is mainly due to some extra cash from the government for care services.
Officials are still on the hunt for savings and additional funding. They want to balance the budget before the big council meeting next month.
Today, the council shared that the new social care funding has really helped. Last September, they were worried about a much larger shortfall.
With an extra £11.3 million from the government, the finance team has updated their forecasts. They’re also looking at ways to manage costs better.
They plan to use some external funding for key priorities. The local government settlement has given a 3.2% boost in core spending power, which is great news.
However, they still need to tackle the growing demands in social care and homelessness. So, they have some tough decisions ahead to cover that remaining £17.2 million gap.
Deputy leader Jacob Taylor mentioned they’re in a better spot now than a few months ago. The confirmed funding increase has made a difference.
But he also noted that they still have a significant budget shortfall to deal with. They’re working hard to find solutions.
Councillor Taylor, who also handles finance and city regeneration, said they’ll need to make some difficult choices to ensure a balanced budget.
Overall, things are looking up compared to the earlier forecasts, but there’s still work to do.
