Agenda item

7.45 pm

Report of Strategic Director for Customer Service and Resources and the Chief Accountant

Summary

The Council has to adopt a budget for 2009/10 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 three opportunities that the Executive has to shape and refine the interaction between service plans and financial matters before the final budget is presented to the Council on the 23rd February 2009.

Recommendations

The Executive is recommended:

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

2)     to endorse the proposed service priorities (detailed in Appendix 2);

3)     to agree the approach to the overall capital programme and 09/10 expenditure profile (detailed in Appendix 3);

4)     to provide guidance on the treatment of service growth bids (detailed in Appendix 4);

5)     to advise of any other matters they would like taken into consideration in producing a balanced budget for the next meeting of the Executive on January ;

6)     to endorse the draft budget and service plans as the basis for consultation;

7)     to invite the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board to consider the draft budgets and service plans, service priorities and service growth bids at their meeting on December 9^th 2008 and submit their comments to the Executive meeting to be held on 12 January 2009.

8)     to resolve that the Council does not participate in the Government's free swimming programme due to the fact that the Government grant is insufficient to cover the cost arising.  

9)     To approve a supplementary revenue estimate of £250,000 for the provision of disabled facility grants in the financial year ended 31^st March 2009.

Agreed, with the amendments:

Recommendation 5 be updated to include that the Medium Term Financial Strategy and be made available for Executive in January.

Recommendation 7 – all recommendations of Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board as set out in Appendix 1A be adopted.

Recommendation 9 ‘revenue’ to be deleted and ‘capital’ to be inserted.

The Strategic Director Customer Service and Resources submitted a report that advised the Executive regarding the first draft budget and service plans for 2009-2010.  The report was the first of three opportunities for the Executive had to shape and refine the interaction between service plans and financial matters before the final budget is presented to the Council on the 23rd February 2009.

Resolved

(1)   That the draft budget  and service plans in the context of the Council’s service objectives and strategic priorities be noted;

(2)   That the proposed service priorities detailed in Annex 2, to these minutes (as set out in the minute book) be endorsed.;

(3)   That the approach to the overall capital programme and 09/10 expenditure profile in Annex 3, to these minutes (as set out in the minute book) be agreed;

(4)   That there should be no growth in 2009/2010 budget unless funding had been agreed.

(5)   That the Medium Term Financial Strategy be made available for Executive in January.

(6)   That the draft budget and service plans as the basis for consultation be endorsed;

(7)   That the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board be invited to consider the draft budgets and service plans, service priorities and service growth bids at their meeting on December 9^th 2008 and submit their comments to the Executive meeting to be held on 12 January 2009. That all recommendations of the Resources and Performance Scrutiny Board as set out in Annex 1 to these minutes (as set out in the minute book) be adopted.

(8)   That the Council does not participate in the Government's free swimming programme due to the fact that the Government grant is insufficient to cover the cost arising.  

(9)   To approve a supplementary capital estimate of £250,000 for the provision of disabled facility grants in the financial year ended 31^st March 2009.

Reasons - The budget will form the financial expression of the Council’s service delivery plans for 2009/10; the allocation of resources against agreed service priorities is necessary in order to achieve its strategic priorities.