Cheshire West face £1 million funding shortfall due to Covid-19

New financial predictions say Cheshire West and Chester Council are facing a £1 million shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This figure is much reduced from October's estimation that CWAC would be facing a £5.5 million hole.

In a pre-meeting report for the council's November cabinet, it was revealed that CWAC has faced £46.6 million worth of extra cost pressures.

The report added: "The Council has so far received £37m of funding for Covid-19 pressures and is estimating further funding of £7.3m in relation to the income compensation scheme. 

"Along with £1.3m of estimated reimbursements from Clinical Commissioning Groups the total funding received by the Council is therefore expected to be £45.6m, leaving a shortfall of £1m."

Officials plan to plug the hole with £4.7 million 'previously been identified to fund the financial impacts of Covid-19', which is money taken from the authority's reserves, 'and £3.3m identified by services in year as part of a budget mitigation activity'.

Cabinet members will also vote to approve adding £2.3 million to this pot of cash to help the authority with any more coronavirus costs in 2021-22.

Elsewhere, the pandemic has also resulted in £604,000 of CWAC savings targets to be non-deliverable, although 62 per cent — £4.5 million — of savings proposals are on target to be delivered this year, with 92 per cent (£6.6 million) still being considered as feasible.

The report also predicts the council's 'business as usual' activity will underspend by £1.6 million.