Bexley Council forecasts £0.6m overspend in social care due to rising demand
Bexley Council is forecasting a £0.6 million overspend in its revenue budget due to increased demand in social care services.
The projected overspend, which remains unchanged from the previous monitoring period, has been attributed to rising costs in adult social care, driven by client contribution reviews, and increased expenditure in children's services due to the need for agency staff and high-cost placements.
The budget monitoring report for July 2026, presented to the Public Cabinet, revealed that the revenue budget is forecasting an overspend of £0.601 million against a net budget of £268.384 million.
Nickie Morris, Deputy Director of Finance and Property, presented the findings, highlighting that while overall performance remains stable, specific areas are experiencing significant pressure. Adult Social Care is facing an overspend of £377,000, largely due to lower-than-anticipated client contributions. Children's Services has seen a movement of over £300,000 due to the reliance on agency staff and the placement of children in high-cost settings.
Conversely, the Place directorate has shown a positive movement, contributing to negating some of the overspends. This is attributed to staffing vacancies and a reduction in residual waste tonnage.
Councillor Stefano Borella, representing the Labour group, expressed concerns about longer waiting times for some services and questioned the impact on residents.
In response to questions about council tax, the council explained that a significant savings programme is underway and the planned council tax increase is linked to government grant cuts. Public Cabinet was asked to approve the budget monitoring position.