A dry summer in 2025 may have had gardeners scratching their heads, but it helped Hertfordshire County Council to cut waste disposal costs.

The authority is predicting a £500,000 underspend for the service by the end of the financial year in April.

A report presented to a meeting of the resources and performance cabinet panel on Wednesday (January 28) puts at least part of that saving down to the weather.

It suggests that "exceptional dry weather" resulted in "substantial green garden waste reductions".

And it also points to changes in the collection of waste in North Herts and East that have led to reductions in residual waste and increases in food waste collection.

However, the report also highlights a capital overspend on the Eastern Transfer Station.

And it suggests the underspend is expected to be "partially offset by a revenue to capital transfer of £200,000 to support an overspend on the Eastern Transfer Station".

Overall, the report suggests that council officers are predicting a £1.4 million overspend by the end of the 2025/26 financial year – on a revenue budget that totals around £1.2 billion.

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At the end of September, estimates had suggested the council was heading for a £6.2m overspend by the end of the financial year.

But the latest data shows that by the end of December, that forecast had shrunk by £4.8m.

The county council is currently scrutinising budget proposals for the 2026/27 financial year, which are scheduled to be formally considered by a meeting of the full council on February 17.