CHILDREN'S social care and mental health services have needed more funding over the course of lockdown, according to council chiefs.
Speaking about the “dramatic impact” lockdown has had on the authority, BFC finance bosses revealed the areas where the authority had hit hardest at a meeting last week.
Councillor Peter Heydon said: “[There have been] particular pressures on children and mental health.
READ MORE: How much the pandemic cost the council
“That’s been two big costs pressures that have been exaggerated by covid.”
As the News revealed last week, the pandemic has cost BFC £6.3 million up to July.
The council spent £3.3 million tackling the virus and lost another £3 million from a lack of income.
BFC has received £6.6 million from the government as recuperation for these costs but Cllr Heydon warned “next year is the issue” for the council’s finances.
Projections about the long-term impact of the pandemic on the council’s purse are set to be unveiled at a meeting next week.
Finance chief Stuart McKellar gave more details about the hardest-hit areas of the council, claiming BFC had not followed national trends in spending most of its money on adult social care.
READ MORE: Mum left angered after spotting dirty face masks on her walk
He added: “It’s not actually adult’s social care where we are seeing the biggest impact, it’s in the contracts service area. The leisure, the car parks income.
“Adult social care is after that.
“Then we have a split between the education service and children’s social care.
“They are the big areas but the biggest by far is the contract services, leisure and car parking.”
Discussing the council’s financial position at a meeting last week, councillor Malcolm Tullett asked whether BFC would have to roll-out another round of ‘transformation’, a money-saving programme which led to £12 million being trimmed from council spending since 2015.
READ MORE: Meet the babies born in Bracknell during lockdown
Councillor Heydon responded: “Transformation is just an expression now.
“It’s part of the culture — we are always looking for different ways of doing things.
“It’s something that’s going on all the time and is being monitored.”
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