Wiltshire Council says it still faces financial challenges despite extra government funding.
Latest projections are that the funding would significantly reduce the chances of issuing a section 114, said to be a formal prelude to bankruptcy.
The funding would give an extra £500 million in a non-ring fenced grant to cover expenditure. The government also confirmed it would introduce a new income loss scheme to pay a percentage of all lost income from planned sales, fees and charges. This, with the council’s own mitigating financial planning, means council reserves are not expected to be exhausted, the council claimed.
Before the announcement, the council’s projected overspend was at £36.73 million, but is not yet known how much Wiltshire Council will receive of the £500m Government funding and funding through the new income scheme.
The council says it is controlling spending on training and consultants and recruitment, with exceptions only approved by senior officers.
The council has also already recently realigned some structures and reverted from two Chief Executive Officers to one, and cut its number of cabinet members from nine to eight, and portfolio holders from 14 to 10.
Council income from leisure and car parking stopped temporarily, and more money spent to protect the vulnerable, and people through this unprecedented time.