Sefton Council is dipping into reserves and pulling out emergency funds in a bid to fill a nearly £8m budget black hole.
Officers have warned the budget gap – which includes £4.3m of additional energy costs, over £2m extra on high cost children’s social care placements and nearly £1m more than anticipated to bus children out of the borough to learn – is pushing the council’s financial situation to the limit.
With “no flexibility left” in the council’s coffers, any further shortfalls will need to be met from existing budgets – according to a report released by Sefton Council last week.
