COSTS of delivering Barnsley Council’s services will rise by a minimum of £68m over the next three years, finance bosses have warned.
Councillors who sit on the local authority’s audit and governance committee will hear about the financial position at a meeting on Wednesday.
According to a report, the council continues to face ‘several financial risks’ owing to rising costs and demand.
It said: “The cost of delivering council services is set to exceed agreed budgets, with the estimated cost over the period through to 2028/29 set to increase by a minimum of £68m.
“Following publication of the MHCLG’s fair funding review and announcement of the three-year settlement, the council is facing a budget gap of at least £23m to 2028/29 on the back of delivering over £150m in efficiencies since 2010.
“These issues place added pressure on the council’s ongoing financial sustainability.
“Demand and wider cost pressures need to be managed within approved resources and all agreed efficiency plans need to be delivered.
“The financial position needs to be under constant review with mitigations being implemented quickly to address any variance against the agreed plan.”
Adult social care, children’s services and the cost of borrowing are all costly parts of the council’s budget, which were rubber-stamped for 2026/27 at a meeting last month.
A total of £6.8m has been earmarked to balance the 2026/27 budget but only on the basis that this is seen as a ‘temporary bridging strategy’ to work towards the longer-term saving plan.
A government spokesperson added: “Local government runs around 800 essential services that we all rely on, supports the most vulnerable, and is the foundation of a functioning state.
“This government is under no illusion about the scale of the issues facing local government.
“We know that the demand for and cost of services has increased significantly - and that this has made the job for local authorities in recent years much harder.
“After a decade of cuts and fiscal mismanagement inflicted by the last government, compounded by spiralling inflation, rocketing demand for key services and a failure to grow our economy, councils of all political stripes were left in crisis.
“Our fiscal inheritance means that there will be tough choices on all sides to get us back on the path to recovery, and it will take time.
“The broken funding system we inherited has left local authorities across the country in crisis.
“To turn this around, we need to reset local government so that it is fit, legal and decent and can, once again, reliably deliver for our communities.”
Sir Steve Houghton, leader of Barnsley Council, warned the coming three years will not be easy to navigate.
“We’ll be facing significant challenges due to increased demand pressures from children and adult social care, while considering the impact of national decisions.
“But we’ve always been a financially well-managed council, and we’re taking early, proactive measures to try to provide stability in future years.
“Throughout our planning, our priorities remain clear: protect vital services, helping people, places and communities to thrive, making Barnsley the place of possibilities.
“The medium-term financial strategy outlines that the next three years are not going to be easy for local government or Barnsley.”
