Torfaen Council’s cabinet members today noted the council could be on track for a £1 million underspend in 2023/24 but were reminded that a bulk of the money was due to vacancies in adult social care.
Councillor Sue Morgan, the cabinet member for resources, made clear that the projections in the report for the first four months of this financial year were “anticipated” based on recent discussions with budget holders and directors. She said: “This represents a very solid position for us to be in” and compared having a projected £1 million underspend on a £223 million budget was like “landing a helicopter on a postage stamp.”
Cllr Anthony Hunt, leader of Torfaen Council, said: “I think it’s important we put this in the context of the overall budget which is £223 million. Therefore a figure of £1 million is a lot money, but it’s less than half a percentage point. Actually to be within 0.5 per cent of projecting a budget is an impressive position. And as is said, it’s a lot better than the alternative of an overspend and having to make adjustments in the year that have an impact on services. That is appreciated.” He said that it doesn’t mean there is £1 million “lying around” but if things continue the way they are “and that’s a big ‘if’, there is a projected underspend at the end of the year.”
Vacancies in adult social care mean the service forecasts a predicted £686,000 underspend giving the adults and communities division a predicted £459,000 saving against its budget. Cllr David Daniels, cabinet member for adult services and housing, pointed out that most of the savings were from not spending money on salaries. He said: “The underspend is due to us being unable to recruit to those services, so it’s not a good thing that we’re underspent in that area. Whilst we’re delivering the services that we are statutorily obliged to provide, we are doing so in spite of being able to spend that money and recruit to those services. It would be mighty helpful to spend that money if I’m honest. We still need these roles that we’ve got so we can’t simply spend this money on other revenue projects because it is needed in adult services. It’s a UK-wide issue I understand.”
