Wiltshire Council approves final 2024/25 financial position after 'unexpected' overspend

Friday, 27 June 2025 06:05

Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet has noted the financial position for 2024/25 and approved the use of earmarked reserves to address a revenue overspend of £4.853m.

The council has identified an overspend within its adult social care services, driven by historic reporting challenges, the complexity of care packages, and rising costs associated with the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions.

The council acknowledged that historic issues in reporting clear and accurate data have contributed to the current position. These issues are now being actively addressed, with additional resources allocated to improve data accuracy, strengthen internal processes, and ensure robust financial scrutiny.

At the recent Cabinet meeting, the reported £6 million change in forecasting between Q3 and Q4 specifically related to Adult Social Care only, not the overall council budget. The council’s final outturn includes a range of overspends and underspends across services, resulting in a total overspend of £4.853 million. The £6 million variance in Adult Social Care between Q3 and Q4 is fully accounted for and reflects updated and improved financial reporting.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said: "This is not the position we want to be in, but all spend is accounted for across the council and we are taking decisive action to ensure we deliver a positive financial position moving forwards.

“We are working hard across the organisation to fully understand the challenges and put things right. We plan to further strengthen our financial scrutiny with a new committee focused on this area, providing an open and forensic challenge of the budget. This approach has cross-party support and we welcome scrutiny and feedback from all members and will play a vital role in reinforcing the improvements we are making."

The council says it is committed to transparency and accountability. They add a comprehensive review is underway to ensure that future projections are based on reliable data.

Wiltshire Council also says it remains focused on delivering high-quality care to its residents while ensuring financial sustainability. The steps being taken now will help build a more resilient and responsive adult social care system for the future.

The reports from the extraordinary Cabinet meeting on 24 June can be found at Extraordinary Cabinet meeting - 24 June 2025.