Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet meets on May 19 to discuss updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The council’s financial position will be outlined to include the impact of COVID-19. After setting a budget in February, the impact of COVID-19, even with the £28.8 million already received from Government, leaves a budget shortfall of between £18.8 million and £51.5 million. The council has General Fund reserves of only £15.1 million.
The financial impact includes:
Lost income from suspension of car parking charges, closed leisure centres and other commercial services; Lower income from business rates and council tax than forecast; Increase in residents claiming council tax support; Additional expenditure on social care, providing staff and care agencies with extra PPE; Preparations for potential excess deaths; Planned savings through transformation projects no longer provided.
Tin a statement, the council said that, in co-operation with the Local Government Association, County Councils Network and South West Chief Executives, central government has been lobbied, to outline the financial position in detail, with strong representation for additional funding.
“We are also making plans should the Government not allocate any more funding to local government. This includes potential cuts to service provision due to the current forecast budget position,” Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said.
“We are grateful for the government funding we have received but it is clear from the budget forecasts that additional support is required. Our priority is to support our residents and businesses through these challenging times and staff have done a tremendous job to deliver critical services with many carrying out roles outside of their normal day jobs.
“The size of the budget gap emerging means we must make difficult decisions around our service provision at a time when the council will also need to lead the recovery process to get Wiltshire back on its feet when social distancing begins to relax.
“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government promised ‘whatever it takes’ and they must keep this promise and continue to provide much needed funding for local authorities across the country.”
Since March, the council has responded to the pandemic.
“With our responsibilities around social care, public health, the economy, and our communities and schools, behind the NHS, the council has been, and continues to be, the second main responder in the county to COVID-19,” he added.
The report also updates members on the efforts of staff to respond to the
COVID-19 pandemic: