West Sussex County Council forecasts £23.3m budget overspend

West Sussex County Council is forecast to end the current financial year with a £23.3 million overspend, according to figures presented to councillors.

The figures were shared by cabinet member for finance Jeremy Hunt during a meeting of the performance and finance scrutiny committee on March 6. The projected overspend, reported in December, was £3.6 million higher than the figure recorded at the end of September and represents around 2.8 per cent of the council’s overall budget.

The council plans to cover the shortfall using a £10 million contingency budget and £6 million from its social care reserve, with the remaining £7.3 million expected to come from other reserves. Adult services are forecast to overspend by £12 million due to increasing demand for support from elderly and disabled residents, while children and young people services are expected to overspend by £16.5 million, partly linked to rising numbers of older teenage asylum seekers requiring support.