More councils have warned of “difficult choices ahead” as they reveal their forecast budget deficit.

Adur District and Worthing Borough Council are facing a gap of millions of pounds between their projected income and outgoings over the next five years.

Worthing Borough Council is currently reviewing a £2.5 million budget shortfall for the financial year ahead, while Adur District Council is looking at a £916,000 deficit.

According to their joint report, which will be reviewed by the joint strategic committee on Tuesday, Worthing has a projected deficit of £25 million between 2025 and 2023, while Adur’s is £9.5 million.

The report says the “old ways of funding the councils' vital services are no longer fit for purpose” due to reductions in government funding for local authorities, as well as cost of living and inflation pressures.

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Certain areas of council services have been highlighted for review including parking income, which the report says “continues to underperform due to the changing nature of the economy and those wishing to use multi-storey parking”, particularly in Worthing.

Others include fees and charges, bereavement services, including crematoriums and cemeteries, which will be subject to an independent review due to their “specialist and sensitive nature”, and commercial waste.

The councils say they are facing “sustained and growing pressure” from temporary and emergency accommodation, which is forecast to use 26 per cent of Worthing’s budget and 15 per cent of Adur’s.

Councillor Jeremy Gardner, leader of Adur District Council, said: “We've made real progress over the last few months in finding ways to make our services more resilient for our communities but there is still more work to be done.

“We're committed to supporting everyone in our communities who needs our help, by focusing our resources on the projects in our towns and villages that bring the most benefits for our residents.”

Councillor Sophie Cox, leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: “As councils for the community we want to help every one of our residents to thrive but the difficult financial situation that we and others find ourselves in means we have to do things differently.

“We'll continue to work hard over the coming months to develop a new model with our communities and adapt to become sustainable and more resilient in the years ahead.”