Agenda item

To consider the Budget 2025/26 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/26-2027/28.

Please note that this report will follow as a supplement.

The Chairman introduced a report and appendices within the Agenda Pack which presented the administration’s Budget for 2025/26 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy for 2025/26 to 2027/28. The Chairman noted that on Page 19 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:

·       An open to all members budget briefing provided on 22 January 2025;

·       The special budget meeting of the Financial Planning Task Group on 24 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 2025/2026 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2025/26-2027/28 was presented by Leader of the Council, Councillor Richard Clewer and Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Nick Botterill, supported by the Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, Lizzie Watkin. In addition, the Director of Legal & Governance (Monitoring Officer) 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 2025/2026 to be £527.420m as well as a 2.5% general increase to Council Tax and a levy of 2% to be spent solely on Adult Social Care. In addition, the papers proposed that the Council Tax requirement for the council be set at £368.818m for 2025/26 with a Band D charge of £1,886.99, an increase of £1.56 per week.

Topics were raised included but were not limited to discussion on the receipt of government grants, the removal of posts, the potential impact of savings on the delivery of services, income generated through carparking and street works, asset transfer plans and departmental capacity to deliver.

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 4 February 2025 as well as the Full Council meeting scheduled for 25 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 Thursday 13 February at 10.30am. The deadline for submitting budget amendments was 5.00pm on Wednesday 5 February.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed:

A)   To note the Draft Wiltshire Council budget for 2025-26 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy for 2025-26 to 2027-28 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 4th February and 25th February respectively.

B)   To support ongoing scrutiny investigation of the budget, including the Financial Planning Task Group’s continued focus on monitoring delivery of the budget and the development of the budget for 2026-27.