A HIGHER-than-expected number of leisure centre users and extra cash from recycling are helping to boost Mid Devon District Council’s budget.

The council is expecting to see £241,000 extra in recycling income due to higher prices in the current financial year, which ends in April, while it is predicting to save around £400,000 on staff salaries due to vacancies across various services.

It’s also experienced lower than expected utility costs and additional grant income.

Other services are costing it more than expected such as in planning where fewer applications are denting earnings.

However, the council now believes its general fund will end the year with a £398,000 underspend compared to budget.

Councillor James Buczkowski (Liberal Democrat, Cullompton St Andrew’s), the cabinet member for governance, finance and risk, said the financial outlook was a “significant improvement” on the council’s budgeted spend.

He noted there had been “prudent management” of spending in various departments, but that spending on agency staff remained higher in areas such as waste and planning enforcement.

In its ring-fenced social housing budget, the council also expects to have a £315,000 surplus for the financial year.

While it has spent money on building more social housing properties and has witnessed a rise in costs linked to council tax and utilities on void properties, staff vacancies mean it is underspending on wages and a fall in interest rates means it is paying less than expected for some of its borrowing.

Elsewhere, the council’s capital programme, which includes spending on buildings and other large projects, is going to be reduced from just over £40 million to £35.8 million due to various schemes either not going ahead, being delayed until a future year, or from projects being reduced in scale.

Projects being delayed include flood defence schemes at St Mary’s Hemyock and Ashleigh Park, Bampton, as well as solar panels on Market Walk in Tiverton.

In terms of borrowing, the council is forecast to £39.5 million in loans by March 2025.

Cllr Buczkowski said a further £6 million may be needed to fund the capital programme, but that this was less than the £7.8 million level the council thought it might need at the start of the financial year.

Bradley Gerrard

LDRS