Soaring inflation and rising costs will mean Nottinghamshire County Council needs to find an extra £24m to balance its books next year. The shortfall could be made up through savings and council tax increases, the cabinet member in charge of finance has indicated.
Cost rises include rising fees to place children into foster care, surging prices for major projects, record-high gas, electricity and fuel, and a projected pay rise for council workers, costing an estimated £1,925 per employee. However, the authority’s leader has said the council is not in financial “armageddon” and can weather the storm of both ongoing and future challenges.
It means the Conservative-led council could need to take “difficult” decisions in balancing its books next year. The authority insists nothing has been decided yet on how this will be addressed but has said action will be taken to avoid cuts to frontline services.
