FUEL costs for Argyll and Bute Council are still standing at more than £1m over budget for 2008-09.
But councillors have been assured that by the end of the financial year this will have been absorbed by the relevant departments.
The slow down in the building trade in Argyll and Bute is also having a knock-on effect, with nearly £500,000 less in income expected than was forecast when budgets were planned.
In community services, which includes care homes and schools, oil, gas and electricity costs are over budget by an estimated £663,000; operational services is estimating an overspend of £290,000; while school and public transport costs have increased over budget by £108,000.
Other variations in the council’s budget, which was put before the executive committee last Thursday, indicated a total overspend of £1.9 million but this was, said direct of finance Bruce West, less than one per cent of the council’s over-all budget.
‘In 2007-08 the forecast overspend at September was £987,000 and in overall terms actual expenditure was close to budget with savings in loan charges and additional council tax income generating an over-all surplus,’ said Mr West.
He pointed out that since the end of September, when the figures were compiled, the price of oil and fuel had started coming down.
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