In a report, external, CWAC said spending in adult and children’s services was “unsustainable”.
It said there was an “unprecedented” demand for mental health support, with a 15% increase in the number of clients, and older people care had seen a 12% rise in nursing placements, along with short-term placements and respite increasing “significantly”.
The council introduced measures including only appointing staff and agency workers if “absolutely necessary”, reviewing spending of more than £5,000 and a redundancy scheme.
It currently has £26.9m in its general reserve fund but said if its overspend was “not mitigated”, the reduction in its reserve would impact the council’s financial resilience and see a need for future savings to increase its reserves again.
