Staffordshire County Council overspent its budget by almost £3.8 million last year.
Children’s services was the portfolio where most of the overspending took place, with this service running £9.7 million over budget.
The council stated that this was due to the rising cost of supporting children in care, despite a fall in the number of children the council currently looks after.
The authority was looking after 1,319 children at the end of March this year. This was the lowest it had been all year, and down significantly from the high of July 2023.
The council also ran £2.3 million over budget on education. The council have linked this overspending to the increase in transport costs for children with disabilities and special educational needs.
To avoid overspending this year, the council plans to review its children’s services and education portfolios. The threshold for children entering care will also be more closely monitored.
The council stated: “Like many authorities we are continuing to see increasing costs both to support the most vulnerable children in our care and in other areas of children’s services.”
Despite running over budget for these sectors, the council managed to stay under budget in other areas. For example, infrastructure, health, economy, and skills all remained within budget.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
