North Devon Council makes savings

DESPITE being faced with funding cutbacks from central government, North Devon Council is reassuring residents that its own budgets are looking healthier than expected.   At a full council meeting, the Leader announced that there has been an underspend of

DESPITE being faced with funding cutbacks from central government, North Devon Council is reassuring residents that its own budgets are looking healthier than expected.

At a full council meeting, the Leader announced that there has been an underspend of �800,000 over the last 12 months.

Cllr Des Brailey said: "Over the last year, we've worked incredibly hard to identify where potential savings could be made, without affecting services. This has helped us save a healthy amount of funding from our 09/10 budget, which is better than we expected. Even though this saving won't completely plug the gap from the government cuts, it certainly puts us in a better position to deal with the challenges ahead.

Mr Brailey also highlighted how the waste and recycling service will have achieved �810,000 in savings over a three-year period by the end of this financial year. This was primarily down to bringing the recycling service in-house back in May, 2008.

North Devon Council still needs to find at least 25 per cent of its overall funding to make up the expected budget deficit. It is expected this will be achieved by continuing to identify potential savings areas, as well as continuing our joint working approach with neighbouring councils and organisations.