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Agenda item

Budget And Business Planning 2021/22 - 2025/26 - Corporate Plan

Report by Director of Finance and Corporate Director Customers, Organisational Development & Resources (CC8)

 

This report is the culmination of the Budget and Business Planning process for 2021/22 to 2025/26. It sets out the Cabinet’s proposed budget for 2021/22, medium term financial plan to 2025/26 and capital programme to 2030/31, together with a number of strategies and policies that the Council is required to approve for the 2021/22 financial year.

 

The report is divided into four main sections which are outlined below:

 

Section 1 – Leader of the Council’s overview (to follow)

Section 2 – Corporate Plan

Section 3 – Statutory Report by the Director of Finance (Chief Finance Officer)

Section 4 – Revenue Budget Strategy

Section 5 – Capital Budget Strategy

 

The Council is RECOMMENDED to:

 

(a)           approve the Corporate Plan as set out in Section 2;

 

(b)           have regard to the statutory report of the Director of Finance (at Section 3) in approving recommendations c to e below;

 

(c)           (in respect of the budget and medium term financial strategy – at Section 4) approve:

(1)           the council tax and precept calculations for 2021/22 set out in Section 4.3 and in particular:

(i)             a precept of £407,954,238.76;

(ii)           a council tax for band D equivalent properties of £1,573.11;

(2)           a budget for 2021/22 as set out in Section 4.4;

(3)           a medium term financial strategy for 2021/22 to 2025/26 as set out in Section 4.1 (which incorporates changes to the existing medium term financial strategy as set out in Section 4.2);

(4)           the Financial Strategy for 2021/22 at Section 4.5;

(5)           the Earmarked Reserves and General Balances Policy Statement 2021/22 at Section 4.6 including:

(i)             the Chief Finance Officer’s recommended level of General Balances for 2021/22 (Section 4.6), and

(ii)           the planned level of Earmarked Reserves for 2021/22 to 2025/26 (Section 4.6)

(d)           (in respect of capital – at Section 5) approve:

(1)           the Capital & Investment Strategy for 2021/22 to 2030/31 including the Prudential Indicators and Minimum Revenue Provision Methodology Statement as set out in Section 5.1;

(2)           a Capital Programme for 2021/22 to 2030/31 as set out in Section 5.5 which includes new capital proposals set out in Section 5.6 and the Property Strategy set out in Section 5.4; and

(3)           the Investment Strategy for 2021/22 set out in Section 5.3.

(e)           (in respect of treasury management) approve:

(1)           the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy for 2021/22 at Section 5.2 including the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators and the Specified Investment and Non-Specified Investment Instruments.

(2)           that any further changes required to the 2021/22 strategy be delegated to the Chief Finance Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Finance.

Minutes:

Before the Council was the report and annexes, an Addenda setting out the changes to the Cabinet’s proposed revenue budget for2021/22 and Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to 2025/26 arising from information received after the publication of Council papers on 1 February 2021; the Labour Group’s  Amendment; the Leader of the Council’s Overview and the Schedule of Business.

 

Councillor Hudspeth moved and Councillor Bartholomew seconded the Cabinet’s recommendations in relation to the revenue budget for 2021/22 and Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to 2025/26  In moving  and seconding the motion, Councillor Hudspeth and Councillor Bartholomew paid tribute to Lorna Baxter, Hannah Doney and the finance team for all their work in preparing the budget.

 

Councillor Brighouse moved and Councillor Phillips seconded an amendment to the Cabinet’s budget as set out below. Councillor Brighouse thanked the Director of Finance and her team for their work on the Budget.

 

The Council is RECOMMENDED (in respect of the budget and medium term financial strategy – at Section 4)to approve a budget for 2021/22 set out in Section 4.4 and a medium term financial strategy for 2021/22 – 2025/26 set out in Section 4.1 as amended in Labour Group Annex 1 below:

 

Labour Group Budget Amendments 2021/22 - 2025/26

 

Revenue

 

 

 

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

2025/26

Total

 

 

£m

£m

£m

£m

£m

£m

 

Cabinet Position as per Council report

0.000

7.047

0.000

0.000

0.000

7.047

 

 

 

 

Children's Services

 

 

Amend : Youth Offer - Core Funding (22CS7)

-0.500

-0.500

 

Target part of Youth Offer to improve emotional & wellbeing support for young people.

0.500

0.500

 

 

 

 

Adult Services

 

 

Temporary Reduction to : Adult Social Care Risk Budget (22AS9)

-0.225

0.225

0.000

 

Apprenticeship Infrastructure Post - to lead and strengthen the use of the apprenticeship levy across the care sector in Oxfordshire (temporary post for one year)

0.075

-0.075

0.000

 

Temporary funding to explore options to stregthen the range of care models in Oxfordshire including social enterproses and microproviders

0.150

-0.150

0.000

 

 

 

 

Environment and Place

 

 

Remove : increase in charge for COMET service (22EP13)

0.010

0.010

 

One off use of Contingency Budget

-0.010

0.010

0.000

 

Increase in other discretionary charges from 2022/23

-0.010

-0.010

 

 

 

 

Revised Overall Position

0.000

7.047

0.000

0.000

0.000

7.047

 

 

Difference to Cabinet Position as per Council report

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having heard the proposal, with the consent of Council, Councillor Hudspeth accepted the Amendment from the Labour Group.

 

Following debate, the motion as amended was put to the vote and carried by 48 to 15.

 

Voting was as follows:

 

Councillors voting for the motion (48)

 

Afridi, Banfield, Bartholomew, Bartington, Azad, Billington, Brighouse, Bulmer, Carter, Cherry, Clarke, Constance, Corkin, Fatemian,  Fenton, Field-Johnson, Fitzgerald O’Connor, Fox-Davies, Gawrysiak, Gray, Griffiths, Handley, Harrod, Haywood, Heathcoat, Hibbert-Biles, Hudspeth, Ilot, Lindsay-Gale, Lygo, Mallon, Matelot, Mathew, Mcllveen, Phillips, Pressel, Price, Reeves, Reynolds, Sames, Gill Sanders, John Sanders, Sibley, Stratford, Thompson, Turnbull, Waine and Walker.

 

Councillors voting against the motion (15)

 

Bearder, Buckley, Fawcett, Hanna, Hannaby, Harris, Howson, Johnston, Leffman, Roberts, Rooke, Emily Smith, Roz Smith, Sudbury and Webber.

 

Councillors abstaining on the motion (0)

 

It was accordingly:”

 

RESOLVED: (48 votes to 15) to:

 

(a)           approve the Corporate Plan as set out in Section 2;

 

(b)           have regard to the statutory report of the Director of Finance (at Section 3) in approving recommendations c to e below;

 

(c)           (in respect of the budget and medium term financial strategy – at Section 4) approve:

(1)              the council tax and precept calculations for 2021/22 set out in Section 4.3 and in particular:

(i)         a precept of £407,954,238.76;

(ii)       a council tax for band D equivalent properties of £1,573.11;

(2)              a budget for 2021/22 as set out in Section 4.4;

(3)              a medium term financial strategy for 2021/22 to 2025/26 as set out in Section 4.1 (which incorporates changes to the existing medium term financial strategy as set out in Section 4.2);

(4)              the Financial Strategy for 2021/22 at Section 4.5;

(5)              the Earmarked Reserves and General Balances Policy Statement 2021/22 at Section 4.6 including:

(i)            the Chief Finance Officer’s recommended level of General Balances for 2021/22 (Section 4.6), and

(ii)              the planned level of Earmarked Reserves for 2021/22 to 2025/26 (Section 4.6)

(d)           (in respect of capital – at Section 5) approve:

(1)           the Capital & Investment Strategy for 2021/22 to 2030/31 including the Prudential Indicators and Minimum Revenue Provision Methodology Statement as set out in Section 5.1;

(2)           a Capital Programme for 2021/22 to 2030/31 as set out in Section 5.5 which includes new capital proposals set out in Section 5.6 and the Property Strategy set out in Section 5.4; and

(3)           the Investment Strategy for 2021/22 set out in Section 5.3.

(e)           (in respect of treasury management) approve:

(1)           the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy for 2021/22 at Section 5.2 including the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators and the Specified Investment and Non-Specified Investment Instruments.

(2)           that any further changes required to the 2021/22 strategy be delegated to the Chief Finance Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Finance.

(f)         to approve a budget for 2021/22 set out in Section 4.4 and a medium term financial strategy for 2021/22 – 2025/26 set out in Section 4.1 as amended in Labour Group Annex 1 (above).

Supporting documents: