Slough Borough Council is on course to spend almost £12 million more than it planned to this year, new documents have revealed.

Council leaders have been told that the authority is likely to spend £171.568 million this year – some £11.817 million more than was budgeted for in April.

Council documents say the budget had been set ‘in a challenging environment,’ which included ‘known risks’. They also noted that previous years’ accounts – dating back as far as 2018 – were still to be signed off by auditors, also potentially impacting on the council’s finances.

Some of the biggest areas of overspend are in the council’s adult services department, which is on course to spend £4 million more than planned.

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The regeneration, housing and environment department is also on course to overspend by just shy of £7 million.

Meanwhile documents suggest the council has collected some £1 million less than it had hoped to at this point in the year.

It has also collected £900,000 less in business rates than it had hoped. But documents say this is because four businesses have yet to make any payments. Three have said they will pay shortly, and the fourth is disputing a change to its rates by the valuation office.

Measures to cut back on the overspend include not recruiting a new financial assessment and benefits officer, saving £150,000 this year.

Council leaders are also being asked to use reserves – pots of money designed to act as a safety cushion – to cover overspends in the care and public health budgets. They are set to discuss the spending at a meeting on Monday, September 16.