Calderdale Council's overspend of nearly £9.2 million

Further Calderdale Council savings have shaved almost £3m off the £12m deficit, which was predicted three quarters of the way through the year.

The deficit will need to be funded from the council’s unallocated – not marked for any specific purpose – cash reserves, cabinet members – meeting on Monday, June 30 – are told.

Overspends which are placing the finances under pressure include adults’ and children’s social care packages, which it legally has to provide.

The council has achieved 89 per cent of savings from a revised total of £3.01m budgeted for 2025-26, although the cold winter meant Calderdale’s gritters had to be out more, meaning a £120,000 additional saving was not achievable.

But rising social care costs have outstripped even the increased budgets planned at the start of the year.

Providing temporary accommodation for homeless people, waste collection and management (£1.8m) and repairs the council is forced to do on some roads to ensure they are safe (£1.2m) have also proved challenging.

Cabinet councillors are told a recovery plan to address this has been completed with the Department for Education.

Some directorates – including the chief executive’s, and resources and transformation – underspent, helping reduce the overspends.

The £9.16m needed from reserves will come from council pots including Business Rates support (£3.4m), general budget support reserves (£3m), money set aside from one-off Government grant funding (£1.1m), and housing-related reserve funds no longer needed (£596,000).