Agenda item
Budget Overview
Minutes:
Mayor John Biggs; Councillor Candida Ronald – Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector; Neville Murton – Corporate Director, Resources and Kevin Bartle Interim Divisional Director Finance Procurement and Audit gave a presentation to the Committee regarding the Budget Overview. The main points of the discussion are outlined below:
The Committee:
- Noted that the intention of the Budget is to (i) safeguard front line; (ii) invest in the future of local community; and (iii) to safeguard the vulnerable members of the community;
- Noted that since 2010 the process of making savings has become increasingly harder;
- Wanted to know how to hear what other councils are doing;
- Noted that there is a good relationship between officers and members and Executive members meet on regular basis with officers;
- Noted that (i) the Strategic Plan is critical in planning the delivery of the savings; (ii) the Council is a vast organisation which offers challenges in managing the process; and (iii) it is important that all Members and Officers are fully engaged.
- Noted that both officers and members of the Executive attend many London wide bodies which provides them with a good appreciation of the regional/national picture;
- Noted that Adult/Children Social Care had presented greater than anticipated challenges and situations;
- Noted that any extra income for the Council should be banked as opposed to reducing cuts;
- Noted that the Council are operating within a spending vacuum as current arrangements have been rolled forward by the Government by extending the previous arrangements until March 2020. In addition, the fact that the settlement was late has also impacted upon the process;
- Noted that as it is the Council that takes the decisions on the budget then residents can feed into the process via their ward councillors;
- Noted that whilst there are some projects that require skills for a fixed period the Council needs to be mindful of the potential benefits against the costs of such “expert advice”;
- Noted that with regards to consultations on the budget it is important to draw difference between statutory and non-statutory consultations i.e. those that are required and those that are best practice e.g. working with focus groups to make the process more inclusive;
- Indicated that any consultation undertaken on the shape of the budget would need to have ways to hear from residents to have an informative dialogue with them;
- Noted that Veolia’s national pay award to its staff will have impact upon those who are to transfer to the Council on 1st April 2020. This the Committee were advised would be a complex process as those individuals would need to indicate (i) if they want to come back into the Local Government Pension Scheme - LGPS; (ii) their age and (iii) if they wish to consider taking retirement;
- Noted that regarding the Community Language Service (CLS) it had been agreed not to carry out any savings until that there had been a review and that the Council had developed a viable strategy to deliver the CLS;
- Commented that there would merit if consultations on the budget was to be made available on the Councils website;
- Noted that there are budgetary pressures from both increased demand and poor budgetary management;
- Commented that it would wish to see how the Council intends to develop a more commercial approach to its activities. In order to secure additional resources that would supplement the existing funding allocations.