EVEN more cutbacks could be on the cards in Somerset after an independent report ordered the county council to sort out its finances.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that Somerset County Council cannot keep overspending on children’s services, and that its lack of reserves means that this “must be tackled urgently”.

Council chief executive Patrick Flaherty said there were positives to take from the LGA’s report and that improvements had been made since 2014.

But he said that further savings would have to be found and no budget would escape unscathed – including services for the county’s most vulnerable children.

The LGA spoke to more than 150 people who work for or with the council between March 12 and 15, and published its report just before the full council meeting held at Taunton Rugby Club last Wednesday morning (May 16).

The report said that there had been “significant improvements” since its previous review in October 2014, and praised both the inward investment from Hinkley Point C and the creation of the Somerset Rivers Authority to combat flooding.

However, it said that overspending on children’s services needed to be urgently addressed in light of falling reserves and previous savings not being fully realised.

The report said: “The council is aware of its budgetary challenges. It is overspending primarily in children’s services and it’s not been fully achieving the savings agreed at its annual budget setting meeting.

“While action has been taken to try and deal with these issues, they haven’t sufficiently stemmed those costs or found sufficient compensating savings.

“Given its current level of financial reserves, this must be tackled urgently – it should be its top priority.

“This is a moment in time when the council needs to grip its financial situation and become more focussed on the immediate financial challenges.”

The LGA has laid out a number of recommendations for the council, urging it to “take immediate action” to reduce any projected overspend for 2018/19 and draw up a new plan of achievable savings for the coming year.

Full report in the Free Press.