A council has said progress has been made on closing its £60m budget shortfall, despite increasing demand for services. Higher costs for providing social care and supporting those with special educational needs and disabilities have pushed Nottinghamshire County Council’s outgoings up in recent months. But the Conservative-led authority is expecting to be able to balance its budget for the 2024 to 2025 financial year, which has a current estimated shortfall of £5.4m. However, it faces a total £55m funding gap for the three years until 2026 to 2027. All councils are legally required to set a ba…