Kent County Council (KCC) have said that the Corona said the council could also face up to a £30m loss of tax revenuevirus pandemic could cost them £200m. This could be a big issue for the council who could end up with a huge deficit for the financial year.
Early estimates had predicted a gap of £130m, but a recent review makes it look even worse. The cabinet member for finance Peter Oakford said the council could also face up to a £30m loss of tax revenue.
the impact of the pandemic could be felt in kent for many years ahead
“We could be spending £200m and at the moment we have got about £69m to £70m back from government. The hole could be enormous,” Mr Oakford said. “There are areas where people are saying ‘we need money, can you help us’ and we are having to say ‘no’.”
The county council has already committed £5m for the bulk purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE), £11m on temporary mortuary facilities and extra funding towards adult social care services.
The council will now have to look at new ways to try and save money. Mr Oakford, said a letter is being sent to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to make him aware of the situation. There is little doubt that Mr Sunak will be receiving a lot of letters from councils around the county. The chancellor also has his own budget problems after ending the furlough system until August 2020, so Mr Oakford may receive a response that says ‘computer says no’.
KCC may have to look at all areas for budget cuts. There could be reductions in adult welfare services as well as reducing waste collections to once a month. There could be staff redundancies across the county to try and cut costs. Sadly, the impact will be felt across the county and could see less care for its residents and an increase in flytipping.