Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer, and the S.151 Officer.

a)    Addendum to the Budget

b)    Budget 2024/25 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2024/25-2026/27 Report and Appendices

c)    Extract of the minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 6 February 2024.

d)    Proposed amendments to the budget

                      i.        Amendment A - Cllrs Gavin Grant and Ian Thorn: Area Boards

                    ii.        Amendment B - Cllrs Gavin Grant and Ian Thorn: Blue Badge Parking

                   iii.        Amendment C - Cllrs Gavin Grant and Ian Thorn: VisitWiltshire

e)    Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee meeting held on 25 January 2024 - consideration of the draft Budget.

f)     Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee meeting held on 12 February 2024 - consideration of draft Budget Amendments (to follow)

Budget Introduction

The Chairman introduced the item and provided details of the reports which had been circulated. He explained the procedures to be followed for consideration and debate of the budget, including debate on any proposed amendments.

He then invited Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Military-Civilian Integration, Heritage, Arts, Tourism, Health and Wellbeing, to present the proposed budget.

Cllr Clewer proposed a motion to adopt the recommendations as set out on Pages 82-83 of the Summons. This was seconded by Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Finance, Development Management, and Strategic Planning.

It was stated that nearly three years ago the administration had been elected on a clear manifesto of policies, which had been incorporated into a formal business plan for the council. He considered that the administration had delivered on those policies, highlighting Local Plan proposals that new houses should be zero carbon, reduction in fly tipping, progress on delivering over a thousand new council houses, being ahead of schedule on making the council carbon neutral by 2030, investment on roads, pothole repairs, renovating and expanding leisure centres, construction of the Silverwood SEND academy, reducing the number of homes required by the Local Plan, support for the council’s reablement and other investments and actions.

Cllr Clewer reported that the budget identified in detail savings that would be required, without cutting council services or utilising reserves, with the plans extending forward three years. He noted that many other local authorities were in very difficult financial positions requiring emergency funding from government, but this was not the case in Wiltshire. He praised Members and Officers for having made tough decisions to plan for the long term, transforming services and focusing on prevention and early intervention, which was especially important due to nearly 60% of the budget being spent in adult and social care. He commended that despite financial pressures faced the council was still able to invest and was seeking to further improve enforcement in planning. He criticised amendments that had been proposed in previous years, which he stated would have left the council in a less robust financial position.

Details were also provided of the additional funding the government had announced after the initial publication of the budget papers, and how this was proposed to be utilised including on upgrading rural play areas and additional investment in SEND and children’s services early help and prevention support.

Scrutiny Comments and Group Leader Responses

The Chairman then invited Cllr Graham Wright, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, to comment on the proposed budget and present the report of the meeting of the committee held on 25 January 2024 to discuss the budget proposals. Cllr Wright also presented the report of the meeting of the committee held on 12 February 2024 to discuss submitted budget amendment proposals.

Each meeting had included questions and comments designed to explore the impact and implications of any budget proposals or amendment proposals, following formal or informal meetings  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8

To consider amendments from any political group or individual Members on the initial draft of the executive proposed budget.

Please note a report from the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee meeting which took place on 25 January 2024 will follow.

Any amendments that may be received will be circulated as soon as they are available.

It was noted that though the item was principally for the scrutiny of budget amendments put forward by opposition members; the first report under this item in Agenda Supplement 2 was an update on the administration’s Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy, as was agreed by Cabinet on 6 February. The Final Local Government Finance Settlement was announced on 5 February, and it included additional funding for Wiltshire over and above that included in the provisional settlement. A verbal update was provided on the implications of this at Cabinet and had now been provided in writing.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Clewer outlined that the funding was proposed to be used as follows:

·       £0.100m contribution to Air Quality monitoring in 2024/25.

·       £0.025m contribution towards volunteer recruitment by Libraries for residents in remote areas.

·       £0.603m funding for rural play areas to enable them to continue to be used by the local community that will lead to their transfer to the local town or parish council.

·       £3.798m funding for additional investment in SEND and children’s services early help and prevention support.

A budget proposal was agreed by Cabinet on 6 February 2024 for discussion at Full Council on 20 February 2024, following its consideration by the Committee at its meeting on 25 January 2024.

On 7 February 2024 proposed amendments to that budget were received from Cllrs Ian Thorn and Gavin Grant.

The amendments were presented as detailed in the Agenda Supplement.

Amendment A – Area Boards

The proposal sought a £0.003m increase in social welfare funding to each of the 18 Area Boards, and the establishment of a central fund of £0.036m that Area Boards can bid for extra social welfare funding.

Comments from statutory officers including the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer were set out in the agenda supplement with further clarifications set out in the appended Committee report.

Amendment B – Blue Badge Holders

The proposal sought to remove the income budget introduced in 2022/23 as a result of the saving included in the budget to introduce parking charges for Blue Badge holders of £0.040m.

Comments from statutory officers including the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer were set out in the agenda supplement with further clarifications set out in the appended Committee report.

Amendment C – VisitWiltshire

The proposal sought a provision of funding of £0.075m to enable partnership working with VisitWiltshire or an equivalent body in both 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Comments from statutory officers including the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer were set out in the agenda supplement with further clarifications set out in the appended Committee report.

The Committee discussed the proposed amendments as detailed fully in the report appended to these minutes, seeking details on the robustness of funding proposals, risks and impacts on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, and confidence in growth assumptions. Other areas explored were the vulnerability and impact on residents/communities.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed:

1.    To note the update  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17