Agenda, decisions and minutes


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

Contact: Emma Faulkner, Democratic and Elections  Email: democracy@cherwellandsouthnorthants.gov.uk, 01295 221953

Items
No. Item

33.

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:

6. Budget Setting for 2020/21 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020/24.

Councillor Nicholas Mawer, Declaration, in any capital bids related to Audio Visual equipment, due to working for a manufacturer of Audio Visual system components.

 

34.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 69 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 29 October 2019.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 29 October 2019 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

35.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive communications from the Chairman.

Minutes:

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

36.

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.

37.

Budget Setting for 2020/21 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020/24 pdf icon PDF 188 KB

Report and Presentation of Executive Director – Finance (Interim).

 

Purpose of report

 

This report provides information on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2020/24 along with more detailed information on setting the Council’s budget for 2020/21, which will be considered at Executive on 3 February 2020 and at full Council on 24 February 2020

 

Recommendations

            

The meeting is recommended:

 

1.1           To review and scrutinise the contents of this report and provide advice and guidance to the Executive to help them further shape both budget setting for 2020/21 and the MTFS for 2020 to 2024.

 

 

***Please note this report was published as a supplement to the agenda***

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)      That the report and presentation of the Executive Director: Finance (Interim) be noted

 

(2)      That Executive be advised that Budget Planning Committee support the budget proposals detailed in the report and presentation, subject to the following:

 

i.       Consideration being given to the provision of a Changing Space toilet in Kidlington

ii.      The provision of solar panels on the replacement roofs of Council owned community centres

iii.     Consideration being given to the recruitment of apprentices across the Council

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report and presentation from the Executive Director: Finance (Interim) that gave details of the budget setting process for 2020/21, and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2020/24.

 

The presentation gave details of the current assumptions around funding based on national headlines, corporate budgets and the medium term financial picture.

 

The report detailed various Growth, Savings and Spend to Save bids, as well as capital bids that were being proposed for the 2020-2021 financial year. Revenue implications of the Capital bids were also included.

 

The Executive Director: Finance (Interim) reminded the Committee that a balanced budget was required for the 2020-2021 financial year only, however work was already underway relating to future financial years to help reduce the impact of expected changes to funding.

 

The Chief Executive and Corporate Directors were in attendance at the meeting, in order to give more details and answer questions from the Committee regarding the Growth, Savings, Spend to Save and Capital bids.

 

With regard to GRW011 and GRW045, the creation of a Finance and HR Apprentice post, the Committee requested that consideration be given to recruiting apprentices across the Council, not just in Finance and HR.

 

In response to queries regarding CAP031, Car Parking Action Plan Delivery, the Chief Operating Officer confirmed that details relating to electric vehicle charging points had been included in the plan.

 

In connection with GRW033, Kidlington masterplan delivery project, the Committee requested that following the successful installation of Changing Place accessible toilets in Banbury and Bicester, consideration be given to providing this facility in Kidlington.

 

The Committee requested clarification on the ‘miscellaneous’ title for SAV028. The Executive Director: Finance (Interim) explained that over 100 properties within the Council’s property portfolio had had their budgets reviewed, and the subsequent savings had been grouped together under the miscellaneous heading.

 

With regard to SAV025, increasing car parking charges, the Chief Operating Officer advised the Committee that inflation had risen since 2011, resulting in an increase in the cost of providing Council car parks. Parking charges had however not increased over the same period of time.

 

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Executive Director: Finance (Interim) confirmed that income from car parking could not be used to subsidise all other areas of a budget, it was only possible for Councils to recover the costs of providing the car parking service and environmental improvements.

 

The Chief Operating Officer advised the Committee that various options had been considered during the recent Scrutiny review on car parking, and all relevant details had been included in the end of review report submitted to Executive in September 2019.

 

At the request of the Committee, the Chief Operating Officer agreed to circulate more information relating to the proposed increases in car parking charges.

 

The Chief Executive reminded the Committee that they could request the removal of any proposals from the budget setting process, however alternative proposals would need to be made in order to replace anything that was removed.     

 

In response to questions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

38.

Review of Committee Work Plan

To review the Committee Work Plan.

 

A verbal update will be given at the meeting.

Decision:

Resolved

 

(1)      That the verbal update be noted.

Minutes:

The Executive Director: Finance (Interim) advised the Committee that there were no changes to the indicative work programme previously published with the agenda for the October 2019 meeting.

 

Resolved

 

(1)        That the verbal update be noted.