Issue - meetings

Report of Strategic Director Customer Service and Resources and Chief Accountant

Summary

The Council is required to produce a balanced budget for 2009/10 as the basis for calculating its level of Council Tax.  It has to base that budget on its plans for service delivery during the year, recognising any changes in service demand that may arise in future years.  The first draft was reported to the December 1^st 2008 Executive meeting and a second draft to the January 12 2009 Executive meeting.  The information has now been updated to reflect changes since then and, subject to any further changes Members may wish to include tonight, this final draft will be presented to full Council on 23 February 2009.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended:

1)     to approve the changes to the draft budget since 12 January 2009 and consider the draft revenue budget (detailed in Appendix 1) in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities;

2)     to agree the approach to the overall capital programme and 09/10 expenditure profile (detailed in Appendix 2);

3)     to note the latest MTFS financial forecast (detailed in Appendix 3);

4)     request officers to produce the formal 09/10 budget booklet on the basis of Appendices 1-3:

5)     recommend ,subject to any further changes Members may wish to include tonight, the updated draft budget for adoption by the Council on 23 February 2009 (as a key decision);

6)     recommend that the draft service plans be endorsed;

Agreed.

The Strategic Director Customer Service and Resources and Chief Accountant submitted a report that advised the Executive regarding the final  draft budget for 2009-2010 which had been updated to reflect changes since the first draft, which was reported to the December 1 2008 Executive meeting and the second draft, which was reported to the January 12 2009 Executive meeting. The final version was due to be presented to the full Council on 23 February 2009.

Resolved

(1)   To approve the changes to the draft budget since January 12 2009 and consider the draft revenue budget (detailed in Appendix 1) in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities;

(2)   To agree the approach to the overall capital programme and 09/10 expenditure profile (detailed in Appendix 2);

(3)   To note the latest MTFS financial forecast (detailed in Appendix 3);

(4)   To request officers to produce the formal 09/10 budget booklet on the basis of Appendices 1-3;

(5)   To recommend, subject to any further changes Members may wish to include tonight, the updated draft budget for adoption by the Council on 23 February 2009 (as a key decision);

(6)   To recommend that the draft service plans be endorsed.

Reasons – The budget forms the financial expression of the Council’s service delivery plans fro 2009/10 and the allocation of resources against agreed service priorities is necessary in order to achieve its strategic priorities. There is also a statutory requirement that the Council sets a balanced budget by 11 March 2009, and the draft budget is part of that process.

Report of Strategic Director Customer Service and Resources and Chief Accountant

**Please note the appendices to this report are to follow**

Summary

The Council is required to produce a balanced budget for 2009/10 as the basis for calculating its level of Council Tax.  It has to base that budget on its plans for service delivery during the year, recognising any changes in service demand that may arise in future years.  The first draft was reported to the December 1^st 2008 Executive meeting and a second draft to the January 12 2009 Executive meeting.  The information has now been updated to reflect changes since then and, subject to any further changes Members may wish to include tonight, this final draft will be presented to full Council on 23 February 2009.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended:

1)     to approve the changes to the draft budget since 12 January 2009 and consider the draft revenue budget (detailed in Appendix 1) in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities;

2)     to agree the approach to the overall capital programme and 09/10 expenditure profile (detailed in Appendix 2);

3)     to note the latest MTFS financial forecast (detailed in Appendix 3);

4)     request officers to produce the formal 09/10 budget booklet on the basis of Appendices 1-3:

5)     recommend ,subject to any further changes Members may wish to include tonight, the updated draft budget for adoption by the Council on 23 February 2009 (as a key decision);

6)     recommend that the draft service plans be endorsed;