Issue - meetings

                 Report of the Chief Executive

Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement introduced the report which proposed the 2020/2021 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2020/2021 to 2024/2025 and set out the budget setting proposals, giving details that fed into the budget setting reports.

The Cabinet received a statement from Adrian Temple-Brown in relation to this agenda item. A copy of the statement is available to read in agenda supplement 2 on the Council’s website here.

Cllr Church reported that the process undertaken to consult on the Budget was open and transparent.  She confirmed the budget timetable and confirmed that the budget papers had been discussed in detail with members at their briefing on 20 January 2021, the Financial Planning Task Group on 20 January 2021 and the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee on 26 January 2021 prior to its consideration by the Cabinet and ultimately Council at the end of February 2021.

In presenting the report, Cllr Church indicated that despite it being an extraordinary year dealing with and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Councils financial management and spending controls together with emergency funding from Government has seen a forecast balanced budget by the end of the 2020/21 financial year, placing the Council in a strong position going into 2021/22.  The 2021/22 budget will ensure that vital services to the residents, businesses and communities of Wiltshire are continued to be provided during the pandemic and the recovery that will follow the emerging vaccine rollout. In recognition of this the Cabinet is proposing in this budget to set aside £1m a year over the life of the four year MTFS to aid recovery in Wiltshire’s market towns.

Cllr Church commented further on (i) the Council tax and the Social Care Levy; (ii) significant service investment – Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Waste Services and Leisure; (iii) reserves; (iv) budget assumptions for future years.

Cllr Graham Wright, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, reported that the Committee met on 26 January 2021 to consider the Cabinet report. Robust Scrutiny was undertaken, and the Committee were satisfied with the updates and responses to questions received and supported the proposals in the report. The report of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee was published as an agenda Supplement.

Cllr Pip Ridout, Chair of the Financial Planning Task Group, reported that the Task Group met on 20 January 2021 to consider the Cabinet report. Many complex questions were raised and she thanked the Cllr Church and the Interim Corporate Director of Resources (S151 Officer) for summarising the critical issues and for the clarity and transparency of the budget papers.

Resolved: To recommend that Council

1. That a net general fund budget of 2021/22 of £412.561m is approved;

2. That the Councils Tax requirement for the Council be set at £298.265m for 2021/22 with an average Band D of £1,590.60;

3. That the Wiltshire Council element of the Council Tax be increased in 2021/22 by the following:

i.               A 1.99% general increase;

ii.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20