Shropshire Council is not like Northamptonshire, says leader

The leader of Shropshire Council has refuted claims that the authority is in financial difficulty.

Cllr Peter Nutting denied comments made today that the council may be facing the same financial difficulties as their bankrupt counterparts in Northamptonshire.

It comes as the council predicts a projected overspend of £6.8 million for 2018/19.

Cllr Alan Mosley, leader of the opposition Labour group, said the situation was “potentially disastrous”.

And he voiced concerns at the suggestion by Cllr David Minnery, portfolio holder for Finance, for “thorough review” of the base budget.

Cllr Mosley continued: “It does lead to questioning that what is being proposed about the base budget is a panic reaction to the situation we find ourselves in and that we are getting to a point like other authorities like Northamptonshire in not being about to make ends meet.”

Cllr Nutting admitted this year would not be “as easy” as 2017/18 “because we keep squeezing and squeezing”.

But he stressed he was “confident” the council will “balance its books” in the next two to three years.

He added: “We are not where Northamptonshire are, the financial difficulties are the same as other authorities.

“As a council we will always have pressures on our budget and will do everything we can to resolve them.”

Cllr Minnery commented: “This is not a panic reaction.

“The thinking has been going on for some time that we need to do this because clearly there is something in the process that leads to this year after year.

“We do need to make sure when we are putting pots of money aside that they are more accurate than they currently are.”

The Quarter One report noted that of the £15.54m proposals to be delivered before the end of March, £7.75m are categorised as green – meaning they are expected to be delivered.

But £2.56m are marked as red, with further work needed to ensure they are delivered.