Pandemic leaves Wakefield council with £20m budget shortfall

Wakefield Council expects a £20 million shortfall in funding because of the pandemic.
Nearly nine out of 10 local authorities face budget deficits as a result of the coronavirus with the estimated shortfall forecasted to be as high as 3.7bn.Nearly nine out of 10 local authorities face budget deficits as a result of the coronavirus with the estimated shortfall forecasted to be as high as 3.7bn.
Nearly nine out of 10 local authorities face budget deficits as a result of the coronavirus with the estimated shortfall forecasted to be as high as 3.7bn.

Nearly nine out of 10 local authorities face budget deficits as a result of the coronavirus with the estimated shortfall forecasted to be as high as £3.7bn.

Some of the UK’s largest local authorities say they will effectively have to declare themselves bankrupt unless the government provides more support, a BBC investigation has found.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Councils face increased costs from supporting vulnerable people, while their income from fees and rates is falling.

Alistair Jones, who is an associate politics professor at the Local Governance Research Centre, De Montfort University based in Leicester said: “Councils’ expenses are going up, and the amount of money they’ve been given to play with is not fit for purpose.”

Two government grants to councils in England worth a combined £3.2bn have already been announced.

Leaders previously said funding already allocated was “not even close” to covering costs or money that had already been spent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Wakefield Council has received £20.4m in emergency funding and expects a £20m shortfall. This amounts to £57 per resident.

There was a report to the council’s cabinet in June and further update reports will be presented throughout the year as part of the normal budget monitoring processes.

It did not confirm if spending or council tax was under review.