THE growing number of vulnerable children in Thurrock is placing a strain on finances as the council struggles to deal with the level of demand.

The council latest financial report reveals that the children's services went almost £2 million over-budget at the end of 2019.

This has now been reduced to just over £1 million thanks to an extra cash boost of £600,000 added to the budget as a result of surplus funds from other departments.

The report explains that one of the major factors has been difficulties in staff, which cost an extra £339,000 than anticipated. It explains that this has been the result of "a reliance on the use of agency personnel".

Conservative Councillor James Halden, who recently returned to the cabinet to oversee social care, said: "Children's Services continues to be an area of increasing demand across the country.

"Thurrock Council's Children's Services currently has a drastically smaller overspend with a system that was rated 'Good' by Ofsted in December 2019, compared to a far more significant overspend in 2015-16 with a system rated as 'Requires Improvement' in May 2016.

"This is very clear progress.

"The base budget for 2020-21 is expected to meet the current anticipated demand levels. There remains the inherent risk that demand levels may increase but the service continues to monitor this and take action where necessary to manage within the allocated resources.

"The focus for the council remains in spending appropriately and transparently on early intervention to keep pressures down.

"This is reflected in the modest Council Tax increase that has been agreed, with all additional funding being used towards further improvements in social care as well as tackling anti-social behaviour and environmental improvements."

It is not just Thurrock that has struggled to get finances under control for the children's services department, as Southend Council also announced a hike in council tax this year and the leader of the council Ian Gilbert said it was almost entirely due to the increased demand from vulnerable children.

An analysis by the Children's Society found that government cuts made between April 2010 and the end of March 2018 has left a £1.4billion funding gap and this is expected to rise to £3billion by 2025.

Early intervention services such as children's centres also used to have dedicated ring-fenced funding but that was scrapped in 2010 and replaced with a government grant, it is estimated to have caused a 71 per cent drop in early intervention funding.

Figures from the Local Government Association show that during the same period there has been an increase of 23,600 children classed as 'in need' in across the country – from 375,900 in March 2010 to 399,500 in March 2019.