Hambleton District Council’s finance boss has issued a warning over the effect the Covid-19 pandemic on the authority’s income.
Councillor Peter Wilkinson, who is also Hambleton District Council’s deputy leader, said the council’s long-term financial strategy will have to be reviewed.
The senior councillor said the authority finished the last financial year having generated £9.1m of revenue with a £20,000 underspend.
The Romanby ward member told a meeting of the council’s cabinet that the revenue had put the council in a strong position and said it had enabled £1.2m to be transferred to the authority’s reserves.
However, he said Covid-19 would leave the authority facing increased costs, a loss in income and a reduction in business rates and council tax.
He added: “We shouldn’t under-estimate the effects of the Covid-19 and the revenue that we have lost.
“That’s why it is really important that we look at our ten-year financial strategy again in the autumn, because we came out last financial year in a strong position, but Covid-19 has certainly put it back, both in revenue and in savings.”
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