BOURNEMOUTH council is forecast to overspend on its budget by more than £4 million this year.

According to the authority's monthly budget monitoring report, the two biggest predicted overspends are in adult social care - at £1.9 million - and environment and economy - at nearly £2.2 million.

Several measures have been proposed to help balance the books, including reducing the cash paid for care packages for people with learning disabilities, ceasing waste collection on bank holidays, and "harmonising" parking charges and commercial waste charges with Borough of Poole.

However, a cabinet meeting last week heard the projected overspend was not unusual at this point in the financial year.

Adam Richens, the council's S151 (financial monitoring) officer, said: "As this report highlights, at this very early stage in the financial year the council is forecasting that it will exceed its budget resources in 2016/17.

"It should though be borne in mind that at this point in the last financial year the council was forecasting that it would exceed its budget resources, but this translated into a surplus by the financial year end.

"However, past performance can't provide a future guarantee."

In environment and economy - which includes housing, waste, parks, development and tourism - proposals include removing "a significant number" of solar powered bins from the town centre and wider area.

The solar powered bins were installed in 2007 and were touted as the first of their kind in the world. The solar panels power a compression system that lets more rubbish be fitted in the bin, and also enables the bin to text the council saying they are full. 

But the report says the council needs to look at new ways of tackling litter and street cleanliness in the town.

It says 'a thriving economy and Bournemouth, highlighted as an event destination, are placing an increasing demand on cleansing activities, particularly in light of recent staff reductions associated with the Street Services restructure.'

It adds the council has been 'modelling' the demand for all its refuse services, including collections from 'demand led events such as the Air Festival and Wheels Festival' and has adapted its staffing structure accordingly.

And it says the council should 'continue to prioritise urgent and essential works only for highways, cleansing services and maintenance.'

A four day week for binmen has been shelved, but cutting all services on Bank Holidays remains a possibilty. 

More public toilets might have to close under what the report calls a 'more radical approach' to meeting savings targets. 

Other ways to raise income include increasing the number of taxi inspections. The report says: "Examine the potential to complete twice yearly inspections of the Christchurch based taxi fleet (estimated at 150)."

And parking charges, garden waste charges and vehicle access charges could be 'harmonised' with Poole's.

Jane Portman, the executive director for adult and children's services expressed confidence her departments would reduce the overspend by the end of the year.

But Ms Portman said: "Nationally there are significant pressures and demands being reported, and there is little confidence among my colleague directors."

Her department has proposed "efficiencies" in the staffing budget, sharing more responsibilities with Borough of Poole and offering "small capital grants" to providers to help improve facilities as cost-saving measures.

The report also says they are  'challenging the costs of care packages for people with learning disabilities through the Care Funding Calculator' as well as looking for 'further efficiencies within the controllable staffing budget.'

Council leader John Beesley said: "I would again like to reiterate that the forecast shortfall of £4.164 million is not an unusual position to be in at this time of year.

"To emphasise, in each of the last 10 years we have managed to bring the budget in on balance or better, which is a very significant achievement."

However, he said balancing the budget would not be "straightforward or simple" in the most "challenging" year the council has faced since 2007, and that 2017/18 would be "even more challenging".

The council took out a £10m loan from the Public Works Loan Board in June at a rate of 2.8%. It had initially expected to need to borrow £18m at a rate of 3.4%, so the loan is both smaller and cheaper than anticipated.

It is not clear from the report what the money has been used for, but it is thought to be to fund the council's Seascape Homes project, to provide housing for people made homeless through high rents.