Issue - meetings

(a)      Medium Term Financial Plan – Financial Landscapes and Forecasts 2015/16 to 2018/19                                                                                    

To consider a report of the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer & Community Services).

(b)      Investing in Stockport – Executive Proposals and Response to MTFP 2015/16 and 2016/17                                                            

To consider a joint report of the Leader of the Council (Policy, Reform & Finance) and the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer & Community Services).

(a)       Medium Term Financial Plan – Financial Landscapes and Forecasts 2015/16 to 2018/19

The Deputy Leader of the Council (Corporate, Customer & Community Services) (Councillor Iain Roberts) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the Medium Term Financial Plan forecasts for the Council’s finances for the period 2015/16 to 2018/19 taking account of the 2015/16 final local government finance settlement published on 3 February 2015.

RESOLVED – That the updated Medium Term Financial Plan forecasts for the Council’s finances for the period 2015/16 to 2018/19 taking account of the 2015/16 final local government finance settlement published on 3 February 2015 be noted.

(b)       Investing in Stockport – Executive Proposals and Response to MTFP 2015/16 and 2016/17   

The Deputy Leader of the Council (Corporate, Customer & Community Services) (Councillor Iain Roberts) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Executive’s response to the Medium Term Financial Forecasts for 2015/16 and 2016/17; describing the approach recommended by the Executive to the Council on the best use of its resources over through this period; and detailing a proposed balanced net revenue budget for 2015/16 of just over £235m, and a two year plan to bring underlying spending inline with estimated resources by 2016/17.

The Deputy Executive Leader (Corporate, Customer & Community Services) (Councillor Iain Roberts) responded to question put to him by Councillor Paul Bellis in accordance with the provisions of Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.2.

RESOLVED – (39 for, 2 against, 18 abstentions) That:-

(1) approval be given to the Budget for 2015/16 described in the report and set out in Appendix Two.

(2) approval be given to the Medium Term Financial Plan to 2016/17 as described in the report and included in Appendices Three and Seven.

(3) the financial forecasts for 2017/18 to 2018/19 (Appendix Seven), and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council be noted.

(4) approval be given to the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax freeze for council services as illustrated at Appendix Ten.

(5) approval be given to the 2015/16 to 2018/19 capital programme and the funding arrangements as described in the report and set out at Appendix Eight.

(6) approval be given to the prudential indicators set out in Appendix Nine.

(7) the risk assessment of the budget at Appendix Five and the report of the Corporate Director, Corporate and Support Services on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates included at

Appendix Six be noted.

The names of those councillors voting on this resolution were recorded as follows:-

Those councillors who voted for the resolution were:-

The Mayor (Councillor Kevin Hogg); The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Linda Holt); Councillors Geoff Abell, Ben Alexander, Shan Alexander, Brian Bagnall, Andrew Bispham, Stuart Bodsworth, Laura Booth, Peter Burns, Martin Candler, Sue Derbyshire, Kevin Dowling, Lord Goddard, Chris Gordon, Lenny Grice, Daniel Hawthorne, Keith Holloway, Sylvia Humphreys, Sue Ingham, Oliver Johnstone, Pam King, Mags Kirkham, Hazel Lees, Syd Lloyd, Patrick McAuley, John McGahan, Wendy Meikle, Adrian Nottingham, Wendy Orrell, John Pantall, Paul Porgess, Iain Roberts, June Somekh, Alanna Vine, Lisa Walker, William Wragg, John Wright and Suzanne Wyatt.

Those councillors who voted against the resolution were:-

Councillors Brian Hendley and Paul Moss.

Those councillors who abstained were:-

Councillors Sheila Bailey, Paul Bellis, Kate Butler, Walter Brett, Richard Coaton, Dean Fitzpatrick, Colin Foster, Alexander Ganotis, Tom Grundy, Philip Harding, Tom McGee, Chris Murphy, Maureen Rowles, John Taylor, Andrew Verdeille, Wendy Wild, David Wilson and Elise Wilson.