Northumberland County Council has offered all of its staff the chance to apply for voluntary redundancy after a multi-million pound overspend was predicted.
In an email from interim chief executive Rick O’Farrell to all staff, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, it was revealed that the authority has a “projected in-year overspend” of £17.135 million, blamed on rising inflation and increased fuel bills. It is understood that £5.2m has already been set aside to cover some expected inflation so the council is now set to overspend its budget by £12m.
In the email, Mr O’Farrell states that “these are difficult times for all of us” and that those factors are “having a major impact on the council’s budget.”
