Agenda, decisions and minutes


Venue: Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, OX15 4AA

Contact: Lesley Farrell / Joel Bliss, Democratic and Elections  Email: lesley.farrell@cherwellandsouthnorthants.gov.uk, 01295 221591

Items
No. Item

15.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

Minutes:

Members made the following general declarations of interest:

 

Councillor Ian Corkin, declaration, as a board member of Graven Hill Village Development Company.

 

16.

Urgent Business

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any item of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

 

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

17.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 212 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25 July 2017.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Budget Planning Committee held on 25 July 2017 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

18.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive communications from the Chairman.

Minutes:

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

19.

Quarter 1 2017-18 - Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Report of the Chief Finance Officer

 

Purpose of report

 

This report summarises the Council’s Revenue, Capital and Reserves position as at the end of Quarter One of the financial year 2017-18 and projections for the full year.

 

Recommendations

            

Budget Planning Committee is recommended:

 

 1.1        To review the projected revenue and capital position at June 2017 and make any comments to Executive.

 

1.2       To review the current position on reserves at June 2017.

 

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)     That, having reviewed the projected revenue and capital position at June 2017, it be noted and no comments forwarded to Executive.

 

(2)    That, having reviewed the current position of reserves, they be noted.

 

Minutes:

The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report which summarised the Council’s Revenue, Capital and Reserves positions as at the end of quarter one of the financial year 2017-18.

 

In considering the report, some members of the Committee raised concerns on the Solihull Partnership and the number of projects still outstanding.  Councillor Barry Richards who represented the Committee on the Solihull Partnership Steering Group reminded the Members that the report was from the first quarter and that many projects had now been completed.  He also reported to the members that the work he had seen had been of good quality and value.

 

The Chairman thanked Councillor Richards for the work he had done with the Solihull Partnership Steering Group on behalf of the Committee.

 

In response to members concerns regarding previous significant slippage and variance in capital bids the Interim Head of Finance explained that he had received assurance that Project Managers had reviewed all projects and that some projects were no longer required and would therefore not be included on the next report.

 

The Committee requested that the Interim Property Investment Manager, Regeneration and Estates and the Lead Member for Estates and the Economy attend the meeting of the Committee on 31 October 2017 to give an update on the Capital Bids and the work with Solihull Partnership.

 

In response to comments regarding a Capital Bid for Kidlington that had been removed from the list without the work being completed, the Chief Executive suggested that the matter would be investigated and an update sent to members outside of the meeting

 

The Committee requested that the dates when Capital Bids were originally submitted be included in future reports so it was known how long projects had been outstanding.

 

In response to Members concerns regarding the surety of revenue and suggestion that a strategy was required, the Chief Executive agreed that an Investment Strategy was required and informed the Committee that work was being done to increase the surety of revenue.

 

Resolved

 

(1)     That, having reviewed the projected revenue and capital position at June 2017, it be noted and no comments be forwarded to Executive.

 

(2)    That, having reviewed the current position of reserves, they be noted.

 

20.

Review of Procurement Strategy Progress pdf icon PDF 145 KB

Report of the Chief Finance Officer.

 

Purpose of report

 

To summarise the Council’s Procurement Strategy progress for Quarter 1 of the financial year 2017-18.

 

Recommendations

            

The meeting is recommended:

 

1.1      That the Committee note the progress made during Quarter 1 2017-18 in implementing the Council’s Procurement Strategy.

 

 

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)       That the progress made during Quarter 1 2017-18 in implementing the Council’s Procurement Strategy be noted.

Minutes:

The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report which summarised the Council’s Procurement Strategy progress for quarter one of the financial year 2017-18.

 

Resolved

 

(1)       That the progress made during Quarter 1 2017-18 in implementing the Council’s Procurement Strategy be noted.

21.

Business Rates Monitoring 2017-2018 pdf icon PDF 335 KB

Report of the Chief Finance Officer

 

Purpose of report

 

To provide members of Budget Planning Committee with an update on the business rates position as at the end of Quarter 1 of the 2017-2018 financial year.

 

Recommendation

            

The meeting is recommended:

 

1.1       To note the report.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)       That the report be noted.

Minutes:

The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report which provided members with an update on the business rates position as at the end of quarter one of the 2017-18 financial year.

 

The Financial Analyst explained to members that the reserves may be needed to balance the budget as South Oxfordshire and Oxford City Councils were likely to earn more from the pool than previously thought.

 

In response to comments raised by some members of the committee querying why the increase in business rates had been so large, the Financial Analyst explained that it was likely to do with revaluation and agreed that if member forwarded specific details outside of the meeting they would be investigated.

 

Resolved

 

(1)       That the report be noted.

22.

Review of Committee Work Plan pdf icon PDF 8 KB

To review the Committee Work Plan.

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)       That the contents of the work programme be noted.

 

Minutes:

 

The Committee considered its work programme.

 

 

Resolved

 

(1)       That the contents of the work programme be noted.

 

23.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The following items contain exempt information as defined in the following paragraphs of Part 1, Schedule 12A of Local Government Act 1972.

 

 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

Members are reminded that whilst the following item has been marked as exempt, it is for the meeting to decide whether or not to consider it in private or in public. In making the decision, members should balance the interests of individuals or the Council itself in having access to the information. In considering their discretion members should also be mindful of the advice of Council Officers.

 

Should Members decide not to make a decision in public, they are recommended to pass the following recommendation:

 

“That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the ground that, if the public and press were present, it would be likely that exempt information falling under the provisions of Schedule 12A, Part 1, Paragraph 3 would be disclosed to them, and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

 

Minutes:

Resolved

 

That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the ground that, if the public and press were present, it would be likely that exempt information falling under the provisions of Schedule 12A, Part 1, Paragraph 3 would be disclosed to them, and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

24.

Medium Term Revenue Plan - 2017/18 to 2021/22

Exempt report of the Chief Finance Officer.

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)       That the contents of the exempt report be noted.

Minutes:

The Chief Finance Officer submitted an exempt report to update members on the Medium Term Revenue Plan.

 

Resolved

 

(1)       That the contents of the exempt report be noted.