PART of the £200,000 shortfall in East Hampshire District Council's financial forecast has been put down to £45,000 in lost rent on two large empty units on the Woolmer Industrial Estate in Bordon.

Members of the district council's overview and scrutiny commitee were told last Thursday about the reasons for the sizeable cash deficit and how the council plans to balance its books.

Among the reasons listed for the deficit were low interest rates and extra costs involved in employing temporary staff and contractors to deal with an influx of planning applications from large-scale housing developers.

Additional staff to deal with planning enforcement, IT costs and a waste contract which is estimated to be £136,000 over the original budget have, the committee heard, "all had an impact".

For full story, see this week's Bordon Herald.