Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Executive Director, updating the Committee on the current budget position and projected position to 2017 - 18.

The Committee received a report on the costs associated with delivering the Council’s Strategic Purposes and the current summary position for the financial plan.

Officers explained the background to the report and the report appendices which outlined the 2014/15 budgets for all Council services aligned to the Strategic Purposes.  A correction was noted to Appendix 2, ‘Provide good things for me to see and do’, which included Non Adopted Highways Inspection and CCTV Operating Costs, both of which should have appeared at Appendix 5 ‘Keep my place safe and looking good’.  It was further noted that Pay & Display Car Parks at Appendix 2 was an error.

Officers were continuing to work through the detail of their budgets across the Strategic Purposes, with a number of costs having already been identified for further detailed work.  Managers were also developing savings as a result of reducing waste in their systems and reducing the costs of enabling services, which it was noted included management teams in front line services.  Heads of Service were also looking at how they could deliver their services differently by bringing in alternative service providers or providing more service for a reduced cost.  Proposals in this regard would be factored into future reports to the Executive and would also be considered by Overview and Scrutiny. 

A shortfall of approximately £1.7m was currently projected for 2015/16.  It was assumed that the Government Grant settlement, which would be made known in December, would not be significantly different to the current estimate.  It was further estimated that the position for the following 2 years would not improve with further reductions in Government Grant being projected. 

Officers provided a number of clarifications in response to Members’ questions on the costs detailed and the elements included in these, and undertook to provide a more comprehensive response to Members after the meeting on some of the issues raised.  Officers further agreed to meet with one Member separately to discuss the property budgets. 

Members appreciated the greater clarity on service costs and Officers advised that they would continue to refine and develop the way in which the costs were presented to Members.  It was agreed that it would in future be helpful to set out gross expenditure and gross income and for any capital charges to be removed from the figures.

RESOLVED that

1)            the costs associated with the delivery of the Council’s Strategic Purposes be noted; and

2)            Officers continue work on the financial plan to realise savings and additional income to meet the projected shortfalls.