Council told to manage its cash better

TOWN hall chiefs should have a longer-term financial plan and centralise reserves, according to a review by other local authorities.

This will make it easier to manage the impact of the challenging financial period ahead, the peer review said.

The comments from a Local Government Association peer review of Bolton’s corporate plan come as the council announced plans to use £8 million of its reserves in the next budget.

Despite this, the local authority still needs to find savings of £23.5 million in the 2019-21 budget.

The review, led by the Doncaster Council chief executive and the Barnsley Council leader, acknowledges that the council has maintained a healthy level of reserves compared to other local authorities while managing an increasingly difficult funding position. However, it recommended centralising reserves which are held in individual departments, noting that the ‘high level’ of departmental reserves compared to other councils was ‘unusual’.

Council leader Linda Thomas said the council would take the recommendations forward.