Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Executive

Cllr Botterill, Cabinet Member for Finance, Development Management and Strategic Planning presented the report setting out the revenue forecast position for 2022/23 as at 30 September 2022 for the second quarter budget monitoring period.

Cllr Botterill explained that the quarter 2 position provided a clearer picture in relation to the forecasts available for quarter 1. The current forecast indicated an underlying overspend for the year of £13.401m with one off mitigations in place resulting in a net overspend for the year of £3.755m. No proposals were made for this variance however, more certain forecasts would be provided in quarter 3 leading into the final year end position and set out recommendations for any adverse or favourable variance, with the fall back being the utilisation of the reserve held for inflation pressures being experienced during 2022/23. 

Cllr Ian Thorn paid tribute to the work undertaken by officers and the Financial Planning Task Group/Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, and commented on the following:

·       Reductions in the Education and Skills budget. In response, officers signposted to paragraphs 32-34 of the report, which detailed the reasons for reductions, which in the main was the reduction, since quarter one, in the forecast overspend on SEND Transport.

·       Overspends on the Planning budget. In response, The Leader, Cllr Botterill and officers explained that this was due to the need for agency staff to cover existing vacancies, and increased costs associated with Planning Appeals.

·       Holding vacancies as a driver to reduce costs and the impact on the delivery of services. In response, officers reported that a number of services were holding vacancies open in order to balance budgets, and this varied across the organisation. Agency staff were also employed where necessary to provide services.

·       The sustainability of a Cabinet member being responsible for two major portfolio areas. In response, Cllr Botterill confirmed that he had successfully dealt with multiple layers of complexity in the past and noted that his portfolio areas were sustainable in the long term, especially with the assistance and support of other Cabinet members and officers.

Cllr Graham Wright, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and Cllr Pip Ridout, Chair of the Financial Planning Task Group reported that the Committee and Task Group met on the 25^th of November 2022 to consider the report. Cllr Pip Ridout reported that Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee would be reviewing future Cabinet reports with input from the Financial Planning Task Group. They recognised that, being halfway through the financial year, that this is an improving position from Q1 in terms of the net overspend 2022/23. They explored the reasons for this decrease and were reassured that revenue budgets were being managed effectively. They also considered:

·       The savings forecasts and whether there is confidence that the savings will be delivered

·       How increased demand, in some areas, will mean calling upon the Latent Demand Reserve

·       Whether the Council were using agency staff and how those costs were being managed

·       How the close management of some contracts were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109