Familiar pressures are giving Calderdale Council’s new Reform administration problems as they try and balance the authority’s books.

The council is facing a predicted £5.4m overspend predicted by its year end, and Calderdale Reform are grappling with similar problems to their Labour predecessors in terms of key social care directorates bursting budget.

These are areas which are largely statutory responsibilities for councils – services they legally have to provide.

Cabinet councillors will consider the situation when they meet on Monday, September 14.

A briefing report to the councillors says noticeable variances are within the Adults and Wellbeing directorate, which is set to be £4.6m overspent, while Children and Young People’s Services is expected to be £1m overspent.

Some if this is offset by, for example, centrally-controlled council spending, which is set to underspend its budget by £500,000.

Councillors are told principle overspend factors in adults’ services include a growth in care home numbers - from 664 to 698 people between February and August, mental health care home placements increasing by 31 per cent, and learning disability care home placements up by nine per cent.

There is also “sustained demand growth” and higher levels of need across adult social care, and savings targets are not being met, says the report.

Recovering money from health-related funding streams and resolving a payments backlog, as well as delivering savings are among measures being taken.

Children’s social care package costs are also bursting that directorate’s budget by a predicted £1.57m, offset by the £500,000 gain from centrally-controlled council spending.

Placement arrangements will be reviewed where appropriate including value-for-money assessment while ensuring that the young people’s needs are met remain the primary considerations, says the report.

Spend review decisions are escalated to assistant director level for both those directorates, and ongoing budget reviews between cabinet members and directors continue.

When cabinet meets, as well as noting the out-turn prediction, the councillors collectively are asked to delegate to cabinet members the responsibility to agree recovery action plans for each directorate.

They are also asked to approve transferring £1.96m used to run the Children’s Disability and Short Breaks Service from the adults to children’s services directorate.

Councillors are told that although this has historically been part of the all-age disability service in the adults’ services directorate, it would be better managed within children’s services.

Rather as reported by the previous administration, the detailed report shows savings largely being met – but outstripped by the rising demand for the social care packages.

In recent years, council reserves have been used to plug shortfalls but as each year goes by this option becomes more limited.

As well as considering these revenue – day-to-day spending – issues, the cabinet councillors are also asked to approve the updates capital programme.

This is money the council spends on long term projects and assets, for example buildings and infrastructure.