a) Written Questions
To receive any written questions and answers which have been submitted with advance notice in accordance with the constitution. A written response to the question will be circulated at the meeting.
b) Questions to the Leader of the Council
The Chairman to invite questions to the Leader of the Council (including any matters arising from the minutes).
Following a response to their question being provided members will be entitled to a follow up or supplementary question.
c) Questions to Committee Chairmen on the minutes
The Chairman to invite questions to Chairmen of Committees on any matter arising from the minutes of their committee (if any).
Minutes:
a) Written Questions
Councillor Barry Richards submitted three written questions relating to the Draft Revenue Budget which formed part of the Executive’s agenda item 11 for the 1 December 2014 meeting. Responses from Councillor Ken Atack, Lead Member for Financial Management, were tabled at the meeting:
1. £303.000 Car park Income Reduction, I would ask the council be provided with a full breakdown of car parking income. To include car park by car park revenue showing total income and a breakdown of how this is split between length of stays paid for.
Response
The unavoidable growth on car parking is based on the income shortfall as part of budget monitoring. The attached spreadsheet shows how car park income is monitored on a monthly basis by individual car park:
Table 1 shows the current income shortfall for 2014-15 of £336,000 (as reported to Executive on 1 December 2014).
Table 2 shows the projected income for 2015-16, compares this to the 2014-15 position, and then calculates the shortfall i.e. the £303,000 unavoidable growth bid.
Table 3 shows income by individual car park during last year (2013-14).
Table 4 shows actual income collected (up to September 2014) and projected income to the year-end (October 2014 to March 2015).
The statistics to provide ‘a breakdown of how this is split between length of stays paid for’ are not immediately available.
2. £350.000 Correction to base budget from 100% (not netted off against overpayments recovered). Could the officer give a full explanation to Council.
Response
This relates to Rent Allowances / Housing Benefit. The Council currently budgets to spend £35m on providing Housing Benefit to residents in the district. This is a statutory scheme which is also demand led so the Council has little control over what the actual spend is. The Government make monthly payments to the Council based on estimated spend provided at the start of the year. Any difference has to be repaid or reclaimed at the year-end leading to adjustments.
Currently the budget (2014-15) assumes that we receive 100% of this amount back from the Government. However the amount actually received does not always meet 100% of the cost incurred, as some elements cannot be re-imbursed. This may be the result of technical errors or mistakes in interpretation of the regulations. It may also be from an overpayment which proves irrecoverable.
Therefore it is not prudent to expect full reimbursement. This is borne out by the level of re-imbursement received in previous years which is consistently lower than the payments made.
The plan for 2015-16 is to amend the assumption in the base budget to reflect a position which Officers believe is closer to reality and assumes 99% of the expenditure will be reclaimed and not 100%.
Whilst the change in the assumption is only 1%, the monetary impact is large as it is applied to the budget as above i.e. £350,000 and this is how the unavoidable base budget correction figure is derived.
3. New Homes Bonus. £ 1,270,000 of New Homes Bonus built in to MTRP for 2015-16, this in line with CTB form the Council’s current strategy is to use 50% to support the Base Budget could an Officer explain to the Full Council where the other 50% is going.
Response
The NHB payment position is forecast to be £2681k for 2015/16.
£141k is allocated for Affordable Housing based on new build achievements with the funds available for future promotion and development of affordable housing projects.
From the balance of £2540k, 50% (£1270k) is allocated to the 2015/16 Budget.
The remainder is allocated to Economic Development (£1100k) and Community Based Payments (Town and Parish Councils) £169k…total £1269k.
This proposal is based on forecasts. Actual allocations for 2015-16 should be provisionally issued by Government in the week commencing 15 December 2014.
To date the Economic Development funds have been utilised to support initiatives such as the roll out of Superfast Broadband across the District (£1m allocated for this purpose) and the Implementation of the Asset Management Plan recommendations in 2014-15 (£125k). The funds allocated to Town and Parish Councils cover a 6 year period from inception in 2011 / 12 and the Councils are at liberty to use the funds as they choose.
By way of a supplementary question, Councillor Richards asked when the information on length of stays at car parks, as requested in his first question, would be available. Councillor Atack advised that the information was not yet available but would be provided in due course.
b) Questions to the Leader of the Council
Questions were asked and answers received on the following issues:
Parking Policy: Councillor Dhesi
Victoria Prentis, Conservative candidate for the Parliamentary election: Councillor Cherry
Community Health Village Project: Councillor Sibley
Campsfield House, Kidlington: Councillor Williamson
Property in Kidlington: Councillor Rose
c) Questions to Committee Chairmen on the minutes
Councillor Dhesi asked two questions in relation to minute 56, Performance Report 2014/15 Quarter One, of the meeting of Executive held on 6 October 2014. Answers were duly provided by Councillor Ilott, Lead Member for Clean and Green and Councillor Gibbard, Lead Member for Planning.