SOMERSET County Council is confident it can rein in its spending after announcing that it is on course to overshoot its budget by over £7million this financial year.

The Conservative-led authority believes it will avoid a “significant overspend”, but opponents have slammed the “concerning” halfway figures despite cutbacks in services and staff.

A report to cabinet members outlined current spending at County Hall with the biggest overspends in adults and health operations (£3.426 million), the children and family budget (£2.722 million) and learning disabilities operations (£3.293 million).

Other areas have had bills of over half their annual budget while some have spent less than 50% of their year's kitty.

The report to cabinet said: “There is significant pressure on the learning disabilities, and both adults and children’s social care budgets, projecting considerable overspends.

“This is as a result of increased demand over and above expectations, and the impact of the budget cuts in these areas.

“Economic and community infrastructure services and support services are also predicting significant pressures, resulting in projected overspends.”

County councillors in Chard and Ilminster have had mixed reactions to the projected overspend news.

LibDem Cllr Jill Shortland, who represents Chard South, said: “I’m concerned that there are so many agency staff being employed in jobs previously done by those made redundant.

“This could mean residents in our community face a service decline, fewer local services and soaring costs.”

Independent Cllr Nigel Pearson (Chard North) said: “It’s hardly surprising – when I asked the child care team where the money was coming from to pay for their plans the response was ‘that’s not our problem – we just have to deliver the policy’”.

Conservative Cllr Linda Vijeh (Ilminster) said changes to adult and children’s social care were much needed.

She said: “There’s acceptance of a national shortage of social workers across all sectors and I know SCC is working hard to address this.

“It will only be those councillors who choose to attend the regular corporate parent meetings who will appreciate the challenges being faced to ensure that we provide the best possible protection for vulnerable people in our communities, where systematic failures over a long period have contributed to the current situation.”

A council spokeswoman said the figures were a financial forecast made part of the way through the financial year.

She said: “They’re a financial check or ‘heads-up’ on our current situation to assess the risks we face and make adjustments over the next six months before we reach the end of the financial year in March.

“The current position is similar to that in previous years at this point in the year, but we expect the overspends forecast to be managed so there’s no overall significant overspend by year end.”