Issue - meetings

Report of Head of Finance and Procurement

Summary

The Council has to adopt a budget for 2012/13 as the basis for calculating its level of Council Tax and 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.  This is the first of two opportunities that the Executive has to shape and refine the interaction between the Corporate Plan, the service plans that underpin the corporate plan and financial matters before the final budget is presented to the Council on the 27 February 2012.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended to:

(1)               Endorse the draft Council Business Plan and Strategic Priorities for 2012-13 (detailed in Appendix 2);

(2)               Endorse the proposed service priorities for 2012-13 (detailed in Appendix 3);

(3)               Consider the draft budget (detailed in Appendix 1) in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities;

(4)               Note the areas of revenue growth as detailed in the body of this report detailed in Appendix 1 – Para 1.21;

(5)               Note the areas of additional income or cost reductions that will be considered in order to get to a balanced 2012/13 budget detailed in Appendix 1 – Para  1.26

(6)               Note the recommendations of the scrutiny reviews of discretionary expenditure and the capital programme that were considered at the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board on 22November 2011 and detailed in Appendix 4.

(7)               Advise of any other matters they would like taken into consideration in producing a balanced budget for the meeting of the Executive on 6^th February 2012;

(1)               Endorse the draft revenue and council business plan as the basis for consultation.

Recommendations approved

The Head of Finance and Procurement submitted a report which presented the first draft of the budget, Corporate Plan and Service Plans 2012-13 and provided the first of two opportunities for the Executive to shape and refine the interaction between the Corporate Plan, the service plans that underpin the corporate plan and financial matters before the final budget would be presented to full Council on the 27 February 2012.

In introducing the report, the Lead Member for Financial Management explained that whilst there was a currently a shortfall, it was anticipated that a balanced budget would be presented to the February 2012 meeting of Executive for consideration and recommendation to full Council.

Councillor Nick Mawer, Chairman of the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board, presented the recommendations and conclusions of the Boards budget scrutiny review. He explained that a small number of recommendations would be presented to Executive in due course as Board members had requested supplementary information for consideration. On behalf of the Board, Councillor Mawer thanked the Head of Finance and Procurement, her team and all Lead Officers who had supported and contributed to the 2013-13 budget scrutiny process.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Mawer and the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board for their hard work undertaking the budget scrutiny review. He endorsed the sentiments of the Lead Member for Financial Management that a balanced budget would be achieved by February 2012.

Resolved

(1)               That the draft Council Business Plan and Strategic Priorities for 2012-13 (set out as an annex to the Minutes in the Minute Book) be endorsed.

(2)               That the proposed service priorities for 2012-13 (set out as an annex to the Minutes in the Minute Book) be endorsed.

(3)               That the draft budget be noted in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities.

(4)               That the areas of revenue growth be noted.

(5)               That the areas of additional income or cost reductions that will be considered in order to get to a balanced 2012/13 budget be noted.

(6)               That the recommendations of the scrutiny reviews of discretionary expenditure and the capital programme that were considered at the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board on 22November 2011 (set out as an annex to the Minutes in the Minute Book) be noted.

(7)               That at this stage no other matters be taken into consideration in producing a balanced budget for the meeting of the Executive on 10 January 2011.

(8)               That the draft revenue and council business plan (set out as an annex to the Minutes in the Minute Book) be endorsed as the basis for consultation.

Reasons

There is a statutory requirement for the Council to set a balanced budget by 11 March 2012 and this report provides a first draft of the 2012/13 revenue and capital budget.

The draft 2012/13 revenue and capital budget and corporate plan will form the basis for consultation with our stakeholders and the output of this consultation will be considered in formulating the final 2012/13 budgets and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68