Hertfordshire County Council’s children schools and families budget has now reached crisis point, with an overspend of nearly £9 million up to the end of December – and worse to come once the January and February figures see the light of day.

Included in these figures, revealed at Friday’s Policy and Resources panel, are some individually massive overspends – like a 41% or £2.6 million overspend on ‘Children and Families Central’ and a £1.3 million overspend on contact services ie the service which ensures appropriate contact between looked after children and their birth parents.

Lib Dem Children Schools and Families Spokesperson Ron Tindall commented: ‘This is an area where the county council has consistently failed to come in on budget. But this year it has exploded.

‘Blaming the decisions of the courts for making it difficult to forecast cannot disguise the fact that there is never an underspend in this area – only an annual underestimate of the funds needed to provide an adequate service.’

He added: ‘There needs to be a thorough review of this area to ensure that costs come under proper control.’