Nottinghamshire County Council will set balanced budget next year

Nottinghamshire County Council will set a balanced budget next year and is confident about its financial future, according to its finance committee chairman.

The council says four years of prudent financial management will see it able to set a balanced budget for 2021-22.

It is despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen councils face extreme financial pressures.

The council’s covid-related costs have topped £66m, but it says being in a sound financial position before the pandemic has enabled it to weather the storm better than most.

The chairman of the council’s finance and major contracts committee, Richard Jackson, said a combination of prudent financial management, a good level of reserves, dialogue and lobbying with government had resulted in the situation being better than first thought.

“We have found innovative ways of saving the county council money in the past, and we’ll continue doing that in the future,” he said.

“I am pleased we’ve been able to safeguard services this financial year and there are no significant service reductions planned for the next financial year.

“We will continue with our record-breaking schools building programme and the £20m investment in our county’s roads as these are the things that matter to our residents.

“There remains a great deal of uncertainty in council finances across the country, with several key government acts still outstanding, including the social care green paper, the fair funding review and the comprehensive spending review.

“The signs we are receiving from government on the spending review and settlement for next year are positive.

“The county council will be setting a balanced budget for the next financial year.”