Agenda item

To consider the Budget 2023/24 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2023/24-2025/26.

A report from the Financial Planning Task Group will follow.

The proposed budget for the financial year 2023/24 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2023/24-2025/26, including the setting of the Council Tax, the Capital Investment Programme and the Housing Revenue Account is attached.

The Chairman introduced a report and appendices within the Agenda Pack which presented the administration’s Budget for 2023/24 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy for 2023/24 to 2025-26. The Chairman noted that on Page 15 of the Agenda Pack there was a short report setting out a suggested process for the Committee’s consideration of the budget.

The Chairman also noted that the debate that would take place during the meeting was in the context of the following meetings that were held last week:

·       An open invitation to all members to attend the budget briefing provided for the Financial Planning Task Group on 19^th January;

·       The special budget meeting of the Financial Planning Task Group on 20^th January; and

·       Informal meetings of the other three select committees, where questions on the budget were submitted to their chairmen to be addressed to the Executive.

The draft Wiltshire Council Budget 2023/2034 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2023/24-2025/26 was presented by Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Nick Botterill, supported by the Deputy Chief Executive Corporate Director for Resources and Section 151 Officer, Andy Brown. In addition, Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Clewer and the Chief Executive, Terence Herbert and other members of the Corporate Leadership Team were present to provide clarification and answers to issues and queries raised by the Committee.

The published budget papers proposed the net general fund budget for 2023/2024 to be £465.372m. as well as a 2.99% general increase to Council Tax and a levy of 2% to be spent solely on Adult Social Care. In addition, the papers included that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2023/2024 be £26.401m, as well as a 7% increase for social dwelling rents and a 5% increase in all service charges related to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to cover costs and garage rents.

Topics were raised included, but were not limited to, discussion on Latent Demand Reserve and how it would be allocated, the High Needs Block, Local Youth Network Funding, The Capital Budget and whether any savings would cause reductions in services, the impact of the budget on Shared Lives, Technology Enabled Care, staffing levels, Street Scene Contracts, Bus Services and the annual pay award, along with other topics as detailed in the appended report.

The Chairman noted that the key points of the debate that took place would form a report which would be taken to the Cabinet meeting set to take place on 31 January 2023 as well as the Full Council meeting scheduled for 21 February, along with the budget report of the Financial Planning Task Group. In addition, it was noted that an additional meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to scrutinise any opposition amendments to the budget before Full Council had been arranged for Tuesday 7^th February at 10.30am. The deadline for submitting budget amendments would be 5.00pm on Thursday 2^nd February.

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee thanked Cllr Pip Ridout, Chairman of the Financial Planning Task Group along with its members for the opportunity to attend the briefing which was hosted as well as for the opportunity to have an earlier involvement in questioning the budget.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed:

1.   To note the Draft Wiltshire Council budget for 2023-24 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy for 2023-24 to 2025-26and to refer the comments of the Committee and the report of the Financial Planning Task Group to Cabinet and Full Council for consideration on 31^st January and 21^st February respectively. 

2.   To support the Financial Planning Task Group’s ongoing monitoring of the delivery of the budget and the development of the budget for 2024-25.