£50 MILLION less than planned is being spent on capital projects at Dorset Council – mainly because of 'higher than expected slippage' in the £434m programme.

The snapshot figure is part of a blizzard of financial details presented to councillors about how the authority is doing mid-way through the financial year.

Among the other figures are that external borrowing at the council is up from £225m at the start of the year to £292m.

Committee chair Cllr Gary Suttle, in a general comment on the figures said he failed to see how anyone could be happy with performance when most of the budget lines were showing red – warning that targets are not being achieved.

Councillors on the audit and governance committee heard that some still have doubts about the authority's transformation programme – broadly spending to save in the long run – and whether or not that is under-funded and, therefore might under-deliver on the millions of pounds of savings hoped for.

Committee members were also told that voluntary redundancies at the council were predicted to save £3million this year alongside whatever 'saving' is made by shedding 300 or so posts in the coming months.

Lisa Cotton, corporate director for transformation, said the council was now two weeks into the consultation with staff about re-designing the organisation, ready for some changes to take place in the autumn.

Part of those changes will include high-tech solutions to the council's contact with residents, the details of which have not been made public, nor the cost which is likely to be into tens of millions of pounds.

Portfolio holder for finance Simon Clifford said much still needed to be achieved over management responses at the authority : "the organisations has got to learn …and needs to change its working practices and in particular its transparancy to win people over and regain that trust… there is a considerable amount of rebuilding to be done.." he said.