Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/130

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

Report by Director of Finance (CA6).

This report is the final report to Cabinet in the series on the service & resource planning process for 2019/20 to 2022/23, providing councillors with information on budget issues for 2019/20 and the medium term. The report sets out the draft council tax precept for 2019/20, the revenue budget for 2019/20, the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) to 2022/23, the Capital Programme to 2028/29 as well as supporting strategies.  Information outstanding at the time of the Cabinet meeting will be reported to Council when it considers the budget on 12 February 2019.

Cabinet’s budget proposals take into consideration the latest information on the council’s financial position outlined in this report; comments from the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting on 13 December 2018 as well as 10 January 2019; and comments from the public consultation on the budget.  As final notification of some funding streams is awaited, some further changes may be made to the budget proposals ahead of full Council on 12 February 2019.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve:

·         The Review of Charges for 2019/20

·         The Financial Strategy for 2019/20

·         The Earmarked Reserves and General Balances Policy Statement 2019/20.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND Council to approve:
 

·                in respect of revenue:

·                a budget for 2019/20 and a medium term plan to 2022/23, based on the proposals set out in Section 4.2;

·                a council tax requirement (precept) for 2019/20;

·                a 2019/20 council tax for band D equivalent properties;

·                virement arrangements to operate within the approved budget;

·                in respect of capital:

·                the Capital & Investment Strategy for 2019/20 - 2028/29 including the Prudential Indicators and Minimum Revenue Provision Methodology Statement;

·                a Capital Programme for 2018/19 to 2028/29 as set out in Section 4.9.1 including:

(i)        the new capital proposals as set out in Section 4.9.2;

(ii)       the Highways Structural Maintenance Programme 2019/20 and 2020/21 as set out in Section 4.9.3;

·                in respect of treasury management:

·                the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy for 2019/20 incorporated in the Capital & Investment Strategy in Section 4.9;

·                to continue to delegate the authority to withdraw or advance additional funds to/from external fund managers to the Treasury Management Strategy Team;

·                that any further changes required to the 2019/20 strategy be delegated to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Finance;

·                the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators;

·                The Specified Investment and Non Specified Investment instruments as set out in Appendix A and B of Section 4.9;

·                to delegate authority to the Leader of the Council, following consultation with the Director of Finance and the Cabinet Member for Finance, to make appropriate changes to the proposed budget.

Recommendations agreed.

Cabinet considered the final report in the series on the service & resource planning process for 2019/20 to 2022/23, providing councillors with information on budget issues for 2019/20 and the medium term. The report set out the draft council tax precept for 2019/20, the revenue budget for 2019/20, the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) to 2022/23, the Capital Programme to 2028/29 as well as supporting strategies. Cabinet noted that information outstanding at the time of the Cabinet meeting would be reported to Council when it considers the budget on 12 February 2019.

Cabinet’s budget proposals took into consideration the latest information on the council’s financial position outlined in the report; comments from the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting on 13 December 2018 and 10 January 2019 as well as comments of the Transformation Sub-Committee held on 17 January 2019; and comments from the public consultation on the budget.  As final notification of some funding streams is awaited, some further changes may be made to the budget proposals ahead of full Council on 12 February 2019.

Councillor Brighouse, Chairman of Performance Scrutiny Committee and Joint Audit & Governance and Performance Scrutiny (Transformation) Sub-Committee referred to the comments from those meetings included in the papers before Cabinet. She commented that members had spent over 8 hours over three meetings in scrutinising the budget proposals. Members had done a magnificent job as seen by the changes in the papers today. Councillor Brighouse highlighted issues that would be a continuing focus for scrutiny including the need to understand third party spend and the changed public service and local democracy landscape. No-one could consider the savings that were necessary to be a good thing, so it was important to ensure that we as a Council understood that we are getting value for money for our most vulnerable people and that the public are able to understand how services are being provided. On transformation a real concern had been about keeping staff during the change process.

Councillor Bartholomew, Cabinet Member for Finance responded to Councillor Brighouse thanking her for her diligence. The issue of third party spend was one that would be looked at. He noted that the proposals relating to mental health had been proposals and that following comments they had been amended. He agreed that everyone was concerned for the vulnerable and disadvantaged and that the transformation programme was not just about savings but was about doing things better to help those people. Councillor Reeves, Cabinet Member for Transformation added that staff were front and centre of the transformation programme and the aim was to have better motivated, better franchised staff.

Dr Judith Wardle, Carers Voice, spoke against the proposals affecting carers and care packages for the elderly living at home. Dr Wardle asked Cabinet to consider whether they were meeting the requirements of the Care Act Guidance 2018, stressing the obligation for a person-centred approach. Dr Wardle questioned the Community Impact Assessment that did not mention family carers, many of whom had gone through reassessment last  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4