CORNWALL Council overspent by almost £7.5 million in the final quarter of the financial year despite clawing back more than £1.6 million from earlier forecasts amid mounting pressure on frontline services and the costly fallout from Storm Goretti.

Councillors heard the authority recorded a £7.494m overspend against its £841.757m net budget during Quarter 4 of the 2025/26 financial year, covering January to March.

The figure was lower than the previously forecast £9.107m overspend after a series of financial mitigation measures were introduced during the year, according to the council’s chief operating officer, Annabel Scholes, who said: “The overall message is one that’s positive in a challenging year for the council financially. The main financial pressures were around children’s services and adult social care.

“We did have a challenge with the storm in relation to the damage costs. It includes £4.7m of costs, of which we know we don’t get full compensation back from government, so we’ve had to manage that scenario.”

Storm Goretti left the council facing millions of pounds in repairs and emergency response costs – and officials said the county’s exposure to severe weather events raised wider concerns over how coastal and rural authorities are funded after natural disasters.

The meeting also heard spiralling demand for support services continued to place enormous pressure on the authority’s finances.

A sharp rise in requests for Education, Health and Care Plans for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities was highlighted as a major contributor to the overspend.

At the same time, adult social care teams were dealing with between 1,500 and 2,000 contacts every month, further stretching already under-pressure budgets.

Members acknowledged the progress made in reducing the scale of the overspend, but accepted significant financial pressures were likely to continue into the next financial year.