Issue - meetings

8a) Leader's Budget Speech

8b) Proposed Amendments to the Budget from Cllr Gavin Grant.

8c) The reports of the Special Overview and Scrutiny Management

Committee held on 31 January and 12 February 2019.

8d) Relevant extract of the minutes of Cabinet held on 5 February 2019.

8e) Local Government Act 2003 Section 25 Report

8f) Financial Plan 2018/19. Report by the Corporate Directors can be accessed at this link: Budget Papers

 The Chairman explained the various documents that had been circulated in connection with Council’s consideration of this item.

She then called upon Cllr John Thomson, Deputy Leader, to present the budget.  He explained that there had been a collective and collaborative approach to preparing the Budget and thanked the valuable work undertaken by the Financial Planning Task Group, the Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee and the officers in drawing up the proposals.  The three main factors in preparing the Budget were:

·         Supporting the local economy.

·         Safeguarding jobs

·         Sustainability

Furthermore, he reminded the meeting that Government funding had been systematically reduced since 2010 but this had been ameliorated by the transforming of services, not least by the embracing of new technology.  He stressed the need to protect the most vulnerable, which was becoming an increasing problem. 

The Chairman then called upon Cllr Philip Whitehead, Cabinet Member for Finance, to present and move the Financial Plan 2019/20.  He explained that the Budget was in a stable position at present and that the Council was in a good position to set a strong Financial Plan for the year ahead.  This would be the last time Council would be asked to approve a budget for one year as next year Council would be asked to consider setting a revenue budget for three years and a capital strategy for a period of ten years.  It was pointed out that during the next financial year the Council was likely to spend almost £332 million on the services it provided and was aligned to the Council’s priorities, namely growing the economy, strong communities, protecting those who were most vulnerable, and working with partners as an innovative and effective council. Cllr Whitehead reported that the Council’s spend amounted to about £1million a day. He reported that the budget proposals had been considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee.  He was always open to new ideas to save finances and encouraged any fully costed proposals to be sent to him for consideration. 

Cllr Whitehead thereupon proposed that the recommendations as set out in the report be adopted, this being seconded by Cllr Pip Ridout.

Cllr Graham Wright, Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee, presented the reports of his Committee dated 31January and 12 February 2019.  He drew attention to the following conclusions of the Committee:-

·         To note the Financial Plan Update 2019/20 and to refer the comments of the Committee and the report of the Financial Planning Task Group to Cabinet and Full Council for consideration on 5 and 26 February respectively.

·         To welcome the Executive’s early and positive engagement with the Financial Planning Task Group in the budget development process.

• To recommend that future annual budget reports and councillor budget briefings describe the development process that all budget proposals must go through in order to be considered robust. 

·         To continue to support the Financial Planning Task Group’s focus on supporting the development of robust council budgets.

Cllr Ian Thorn, as Chairman of the Financial Planning Task Group thanked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8