Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2017/137

Contact: Katy Jurczyszyn, Strategic Finance Manager, (Finance, Strategy and Monitoring) Tel: 07584 909518

Report by Director of Finance (CA6).

The report is the last financial monitoring report for 2017/18 and focuses on the delivery of the 2017/18 budget based on projections at the end of January 2018.  Parts 1 and 2 include projections for revenue, reserves and balances.   Capital Programme monitoring is included at Part 3. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)         note the report;

(b)         approve the virement requests set out in Annex 2a;

(c)         note the Virements set out in Annex 2b;

(d)         approve the bad debt write offs set out in paragraphs 48 and 49;

(e)         note the Treasury Management lending list at Annex 3;

(f)           approve the changes to the capital programme in Annex 6c;

(g)         approve the inclusion of £0.825m towards additional pupil places at King Alfred’s School as set out in paragraph 60.

Recommendations agreed.

The report is the last financial monitoring report for 2017/18 and focuses on the delivery of the 2017/18 budget based on projections at the end of January 2018.  Parts 1 and 2 include projections for revenue, reserves and balances.   Capital Programme monitoring is included at Part 3. 

Councillor Helen Evans, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, highlighted the number of overspends related to external provision and market costs. She acknowledged the on-going work in Directorates but suggested that costs be controlled by bringing services back in house. Councillor Evans went on to highlight a number of issues including the impact of efforts to reduce numbers of Looked After Children (LACs) and that given significant levels of drug and alcohol problems she would wish to see the allocated public health budget fully spent. She acknowledged the reduction in LACs but commented that it was still a national issue and an area of concern given the overspend.

Councillor Harrod, Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services, responding to a question from Councillor Evans, undertook to respond to her directly on the causes of the variance in the local and national LACs figures. Councillor Hibbert Biles, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Education highlighted the year on year reduction in the public health budget and that the underspend was to be used to fund clinics going forward.

Councillor Bartholomew, Cabinet Member for Finance, introduced the contents of the report and moved the recommendations. He referred to the Council’s strong record of financial management and noted that the over spend in 2017/18 would be balanced by the use of contingency and general reserves. He thanked Lorna Baxter and the Finance Team for all their efforts.

During discussion Cabinet Members reinforced the thanks to the Finance Team and noted the good job done in difficult circumstances. Cabinet referred to the unpredictable nature of much of the Council’s service provision where services had to be provided where there was need.

The Leader took the opportunity to pay tribute to the teams out delivering services during the recent bad weather.

RESOLVED:                        to:

(a)          note the report;

(b)          approve the virement requests set out in Annex 2a;

(c)          note the Virements set out in Annex 2b;

(d)          approve the bad debt write offs set out in paragraphs 48 and 49;

(e)          note the Treasury Management lending list at Annex 3;

(f)           approve the changes to the capital programme in Annex 6c;

(g)          approve the inclusion of £0.825m towards additional pupil places at King Alfred’s School as set out in paragraph 60.