Adults’ and children’s services face a spending squeeze as Enfield Council comes under pressure to balance its books.

Savings of more than £2 million have been earmarked for 2019-20 in a drive to close a projected budget gap of £13.6 million.

So far, nearly half a million pounds-worth of savings have been pencilled in for children’s services – although the majority of this will be achieved by using capital funding to buy CCTV equipment.

Some £50,000 will be saved by cutting the number of operational support managers and staff.

Adult social care has had £187,000-worth of savings earmarked for 2019-20, with greater use of assistive technologies and healthcare reviews helping to meet the target.

The council will also raise an additional £150,000 through fees and charges for adult social care.

The bulk of the savings will be made through changes to the council’s temporary accommodation portfolio, which is used to house homeless people.

But the council still hopes to achieve a further £15 million-worth of savings in 2019-20.

Enfield Council has had its core government funding slashed by 50 per cent since 2010 and faces further cuts in the coming years.

But rising demand for services like adult social care meant the council spent more than planned in several areas during the last financial year.

The savings were agreed at a meeting of Enfield Council’s cabinet on Wednesday (July 25).

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Mary Maguire, cabinet member for finance and procurement, said: “The government talks about paying down the deficit. What they are doing is transferring debt to local government.”