Issue - meetings

To consider a joint report of the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Devolution and Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance.

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Devolution (Councillor Elise Wilson) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Cabinet’s Revenue Budget Proposals for 2021/22 and outlining the Council’s financial outlook and challenges across the medium term period 2021/22 to 2022/23.

MOVED AND SECONDED – That:-

(1) approval be given the 2021/22 Budget described in this report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3.

(2) the risk assessment of the 2021/22 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of

the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and

robustness of the estimates included at Appendix 5 be noted.

(3) approval be given to the required increase to the Council’s General Fund Balance to reflect the Section 151 Officer assessment of risks

(4) approval be given to the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2021/22 to 2022/23 at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council.

(5) the appropriate Council Tax resolutions be passed which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2021/22 (2% General increase and 1.5% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7.

(6) approval be given to the commitment to increase the Adult Social Care Precept by a further 1.5% in 2022/23 by taking up the option to defer an element of the allowable increase in 2021/22 smoothed by the use of available one-off resources held in earmarked reserves.

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - That the Council Meeting gives approval to the proposed amendments to the 2021/22 Cabinet Revenue Budget put forward by the Conservative Group and as set out in its proposals and summarised in the document entitled “Conservative Group Budget Amendment 2021/22” which had been circulated at the meeting.

To consider a joint report of the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Devolution and the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning and Governance.

The purpose of the report is to present the 2021/22 Cabinet Revenue Budget for approval. It also outlines the Council’s financial outlook and significant challenges across the medium term period 2021/22 to 2022/23 as our response and recovery from the pandemic continues. The report highlights the overarching priorities and desired outcomes upon which the Cabinet has based its budget proposals, and which form the basis of the updated Council Plan included elsewhere on this agenda.

The Cabinet is recommended to ask the Council Meeting to:

·         Approve the Budget for 2021/22 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

·         Note the risk assessment of the 2021/22 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates included at Appendix 5;

·         Approve the required increase to the Council’s General Fund Balance to reflect the Section 151 Officer assessment of risks;

·         Note, comment upon and approve the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2021/22 to 2022/23  at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council;

·         Pass the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2021/22 (2% General increase and 1.5% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7; and

·         Approve the commitment to increase the Adult Social Care Precept by a further 1.5% in 2022/23 by taking up the option to defer an element of the allowable increase in 2021/22 smoothed by the use of available one-off resources held in earmarked reserves.

Officer contact: Jonathan Davies on 0161 218 1025 or email:  jonathan.davies@stockport.gov.uk

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Devolution submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the 2021/22 Cabinet Revenue Budget for approval. It also outlined the Council’s financial outlook and significant challenges across the medium term period 2021/22 to 2022/23 as the response and recovery from the pandemic continued. The report highlighted the overarching priorities and desired outcomes upon which the Cabinet has based its budget proposals, and which formed the basis of the updated Council Plan.

The Leader of the Council stated that the administration had set out values to deliver for the people of Stockport whilst remaining committed to protecting the front line services that residents relied on.  The Leader emphasised the mechanisms through which change had been delivered, including though Viaduct Housing to deliver affordable homes,  the Mayoral Development Corporation to drive regeneration in the town centre and the Stockport Local Fund to invest in communities.

The following comments were then made:-

·         Sustainable frameworks and mechanisms had been put in place to deliver long-lasting change.

·         The capital programme would be used to deliver more affordable homes and to invest in local and district centres.

·         There had not been a medium term plan from government to put local government on a sustainable financial footing to allow councils to plan properly for the future.

·         There needed to be reform to the social care system to ensure that its finances were properly supported.

·         Disappointment was expressed that the government had calculated councils’ core spending power on the back of local government pay freezes.

·         It was noted that local authorities had lost 40% of their spending power since 2010.

·         Stockport Council was one of only four councils in the North West that was not proposing to increase the level of Council Tax by the maximum 5%.  However, the Cabinet deeply regretted any need to raise Council Tax at all.

·         Over 700 libraries had been closed nationally, whereas the proposals in Stockport were to invest in library services.

·         There needed to be a better understanding of the breadth of services offered by the Council.

·         There would be continued investment in the third sector.

·         Through the Stockport Local Fund it was proposed to have funding available to allow communities to create memorials to those lost during the Covid-19 pandemic.

·          

RESOLVED – That in relation to the 2020/21 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme, the Council Meeting be recommended to:-

·         Approve the Budget for 2021/22 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

·         Note the risk assessment of the 2021/22 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates included at Appendix 5;

·         Approve the required increase to the Council’s General Fund Balance to reflect the Section 151 Officer assessment of risks;

·         Note, comment upon and approve the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2021/22 to 2022/23  at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council;

·         Pass the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2021/22 (2% General increase and 1.5% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7; and

·         Approve the commitment to increase the Adult Social Care Precept by a further 1.5% in 2022/23 by taking up the option to defer an element of the allowable increase in 2021/22 smoothed by the use of available one-off resources held in earmarked reserves.