Ashfield Council claims it has strongest financial position in Nottinghamshire

Councils across the county are facing financial black holes due to rising costs, and will need to make cuts or dip into their savings in order balance their budgets.

Nottingham City Council effectively declared itself bankrupt in November.

However, Ashfield is actually spending less than expected this year and won’t need to use any of its reserves.

Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind), council leader, offered reassurance about the authority’s financial position at a cabinet meeting on January 29.

He said: “Ashfield is in a very strong position.

"We’re a million miles away from the likes of Nottingham and Birmingham.

“We’ve put together our three-year medium-term financial plan in a sensible way, and our investment portfolio brings in £4m per year.

“When Nottingham City Council went and declared a Section 114 notice and all Nottinghamshire councils were consulted, we were the only one able to say we could set a balanced budget without savings this year. “

He added that Government funding for councils had decreased significantly since he had entered local government, which had required new strategies.

He continued: “We’ve changed the way we work and brought in money through investment.

“We’re certainly not going to be waving the white surrender flag.”

The council’s general fund currently has a £1.1m underspend.

Coun Tom Hollis (Ash Ind), deputy leader, pointed to major projects taking shape in the district, including the Planetarium and Science Discovery Centre, and the Kings Mill Reservoir leisure development.

He said: “Look at the city council and what’s happening there and others are talking about cuts left, right and centre.

“I can’t think of any council in the county that’s providing all those bread-and-butter services while national projects are being delivered here.”

The city council, which has a £50m funding gap for 2024-25, has put forward sweeping cuts to the services it isn’t legally required to provide, which could make 550 of its staff redundant.

Mansfield Council is another authority in financial difficulties, with an estimated £5m shortfall over the next three years.

It’s cabinet voted last week to approve £2.2m cuts from April.

Both authorities blame falling Government funding on top of rising demand for services and higher inflation.