St Helens Council forecasts overspend of almost £100,000

A financial monitoring report, for period one of 2025-26, came before the cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday.

It is the first financial monitoring report of 2025-26, covering the period from April to May 2025.

Delay in selling buildings

“At this early point in the year, there is a forecast service overspend of £0.297m against the net portfolio budget of £202.670m,” it said.

“One-off corporate underspends are forecast to offset the overspend by £0.200m, resulting in a forecast net budget overspend of £0.097m.

“The main pressure is within the Regeneration portfolio, with a forecast overspend of £1.008m primarily because of the non-delivery of savings, in particular the delay in the sale of Lincoln House and Wesley House. The pressure is currently being managed within the Place Directorate, where the net departmental position is balanced.

“There is a forecast pressure of £0.298m in Children & Young People, with placement costs associated with caring for children looked after and frontline social care agency staffing pressures the main drivers of this.

“The other portfolios are either projecting a balanced position or small underspends against the budget.

“Corporate underspends that are one-off in nature totalling £0.200m result from additional investment income from treasury management activity and borrowing activity being undertaken at less than budget.

“The environment in which the council is operating continues to be uncertain, and financial modelling to quantify the impact of external events on council budgets is ongoing.”

The report says the figures are “caveated” by the following: due to the timing of the cabinet meeting the report is based on a two-month period (April to May) and not the full quarter to June 2025, and also the figures assume that savings plans will continue to be developed and brought forward in line with decisions taken previously by council.