DORSET Council leader Spencer Flower has said the authority will not shrink from spending reserves to maintain services.

The council is currently facing an end of year budget which is likely to be £15million over its target – most of it attributed to social services spending on both children’s and adult services.

“The contingency is there for a reason, the importance of delivering the service is absolutely paramount and we are in the fortunate position of having a good level of reserves. We will try not to, but if we need to spend some of it to sustain services, so be it,” he told the council’s audit and governance committee.

The council currently has £28.5m in reserves, but could switch investments it holds, at a penalty cost, to boost that figure should it be needed.

Cllr Flower said that the general election had also added to the problems of budget setting for the coming financial year – with local councils not likely to be told of how much they would get from Government, or be allowed to spend, until January. Normally the figures and parameters for spending are known by December.

He said the result was that budget setting for next year would continue, although based more on assumptions than known facts.

A special meeting is being planned for January 13th to discuss the proposed budget for 2020-21.