Cabinet criticised as Shropshire Council fails to meet £2.5 million savings target
Savings of £2.5 million have failed to be achieved by Shropshire Council, it has been revealed.
The council's cabinet has been accused of failing to deliver cuts it had promised.
Members of Shropshire Council met this week to sign off the accounts for 2017/18.
The document was approved but Councillor Roger Evans, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said it highlighted significant failings which were worrying for the future.
Councillor Evans said cabinet is failing to deliver the budget agreed by council.
An audit report revealed the council had not made £2.5 million worth of savings it had promised.
"This just highlights the way Shropshire Council's cabinet has managed the budget," Councillor Evans said. "The chief executive had to take operational decisions to put a spending freeze in place.
"Yes the council did deliver a balanced budget but that certainly was not due to the actions of cabinet.
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"Cabinet is failing this council because it is not delivering the budget it set out. If this was a household what would be happening? They would be taken to court for not paying their bills.
"The council decided a budget and ultimately the cabinet is failing to deliver it."
He also criticised Shropshire Council for keeping more than £90 million in the bank.
Council leader Peter Nutting hit back, saying the Lib Dems would have bankrupted the council if they were in charge.
He added: "The Liberal Democrats have no ideal how to handle the £91m. It's actually earmarked for various services.
"We have to have a certain amount of money in reserve because that's what the auditors have told us to do.
"We're doing better than other councils. We had a difficult budget and we're getting it back in balance. I'm determined we will have a balanced budget in a few years."
However the audit report revealed the council's financial resilience over the coming years is a 'significant risk'.
It is predicting a £59m funding gap between 2018/19 to 2022/23 and has agreed a savings target of £43 million over the same period.
