Minding the gap: Norfolk County Council to scrutinse plans to bridge £46.2 million budget issues

Work bridging a predicted £46.2 million budget gap for Norfolk County Council will be considered tomorrow.

The council’s scrutiny committee will look at a report from finance officers, laying bare the kind of savings that will need to make up the budget for 2024-25.

Scrutiny committee chairman Steve Morphew said: “Effective scrutiny is a crucial part of the council’s budget-planning process – probing and understanding the pressures and issues, ensuring the council is focused on making efficiencies and flagging any concerns about how savings may impact on the services people need.

“This is the start of the process and we will continue to be involved as proposals are developed and we move towards the setting of the budget.”

In the report, which will go before councillors on Wednesday, points to a range of pressures, which includes inflation, totalling £81.9 million.

The authority’s net budget is predicted to be £567.3million, against a council tax income of £521 million, leaving a £46.2million gap.