North Devon accounts given clean bill of health

Finance officer and team praised for "remarkable" work

North Devon Council’s finance chief has been praised as the authority’s accounts were given a clean bill of health from auditors.

The officer and his team have managed “remarkable” achievements with limited budgets, councillors say.

In 2022/23 the local authority had a budget surplus of more than £600,000 with reserves of £12.3 million. It says it is in a “strong financial position” to deal with risks as it delivers its priorities.

Deputy leader Cllr David Worden (Lib Dem, South Molton) said the council owed a great deal to the director of resources, deputy chief executive and section 151 (finance) officer Jon Trigg.

Since 2010 central government has cut North Devon Council’s funding by £40 million, and the workforce has reduced by 130.

This, coupled with double digit inflation for a year peaking at 14 per cent in October 2022 and the rising costs of delivering services in a rural area, has added more pressure.

“We have a lot less money now,” said Cllr Worden. “It’s remarkable what our director of resources and his team have achieved, and we are extremely proud of all our officers and departments for what they do. It is important we keep lobbying for more money for our area.”

He said it is unfair that North Devon would have less spending power next year than district councils in more urban areas.

It stood to receive an increase of 4.7 per cent if it raised council tax by the maximum of 2.99 per cent, compared to a 4.9 per cent average for district councils and 6.5 per cent for the whole local government sector.

Cllr Frank Biederman (Ind, Fremington) said officers did “an incredible job” but added: “What really gets my goat is that we have to find more savings and we are still fighting against inflation.

“We have been let down by the government and we are always being pitted against our neighbours in Torridge when it comes to funding streams. All this means we have to make difficult choices so it’s quite incredible what this council has achieved.”

Council leader Ian Roome (Lib Dem, Barnstaple with Pilton) said the authority had submitted a detailed response to push for a fairer funding settlement.

“The harsh reality is that without sufficient government funding, it is residents and communities who pay the price through increased council tax bills and cuts to services,” he said.

In his 100-page statement of accounts, Jon Trigg said that cross-party workshops ahead of the budget setting process had been introduced and were beneficial in helping to identify pressures.

But he added that one-year funding settlements from the government left authorities with much greater uncertainty in being able to plan further ahead.

He said income from the Green Lanes Shopping Centre would help mitigate risks on the council budget in the future.