Issue - meetings

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 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 – (1) That approval be given to the Budget for 2022/23 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3.

(2 That the risk assessment of the 2022/23 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates also included at Appendix 5 be noted.

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

(4) That approval be given to the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2022/23 to 2024/25 at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council.

(5) That the appropriate Council Tax resolutions be passed which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2022/23 (1% General increase, 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase and 1.5 deferred 2021/22 Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7.

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - That the Council Meeting gives approval to the proposed amendments to the 2022/23 Cabinet Revenue Budget and Capital Programme put forward by the Liberal Democrat Group and as set out in its proposals and summarised in the document entitled “Liberal Democrat Budget Amendment, February 2022’ that had been circulated in advance of the meeting.

For the amendment 53, against 0, abstentions 8.

AMENDMENT CARRIED

The names of those councillors voting on the amendment were recorded as follows:-

Those councillors who voted for the amendment were:-

The Mayor (Councillor Adrian Nottingham); The Deputy Mayor (Councillor David Wilson); Councillors Shan Alexander, Malcolm Allan, Lou Ankers, Paul Ankers, Grace Baynham, Kate Butler, Anna Charles-Jones, Angie Clark, Laura Clingan, Stuart Corris, Becky Crawford, Dickie Davies, Will Dawson, Roy Driver, Dean Fitzpatrick, Colin Foster, Helen Foster-Grime, Chris Gordon, Graham Greenhalgh, Steve Gribbon, Oliver Harrison, Keith Holloway, Mark Hunter, Jilly Julian, Gary Lawson, Rory Leonard, Colin MacAlister, Carole McCann, Tom McGee, Wendy Meikle, David Meller, Janet Mobbs, Tom Morrison, Amanda Peers, Iain Roberts, Mark Roberts, Dena Ryness, David Sedgwick, Becky Senior, Lisa Smart, Andy Sorton, Charlie Stewart, John Taylor, Aron Thornley, Sue Thorpe, Kerry Waters, Jude Wells, Wendy Wild, Elise Wilson, Suzanne Wyatt and Matt Wynne.

The councillors who abstained were:-

Councillors Brian Bagnall, Linda Holt, Mike Hurleston, Oliver Johnstone, John McGahan, Alanna Vine, Lisa Walker and John Wright.

The motion, as amended, was then put as the substantive motion and it was

RESOLVED – (53 for, 8 against) - (1) That approval be given to the Budget for 2022/23 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3.

(2 That the risk assessment of the 2022/23 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates also included at Appendix 5 be noted.

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

(4) That approval be given to the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2022/23 to 2024/25 at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council.

(5) That the appropriate Council Tax resolutions be passed which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2022/23 (1% General increase, 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase and 1.5 deferred 2021/22 Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7.

Subject to:-

·         Funding the ‘general’ increase in council tax for the worst  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3

The purpose of the report is to present the proposed 2022/23 Cabinet Revenue Budget for approval. The report outlines the Council’s financial outlook and significant challenges across the medium term period 2022/23 to 2024/25 as the Council continues to recover from the financial impact of the pandemic. The report highlights the overarching priorities and desired outcomes upon which the Cabinet has based its budget proposals, and which form the basis of our Borough Plan and updated Council Plan included elsewhere on this agenda. We continue to shape our budget within an incredibly uncertain, volatile and complex environment which includes pressures across public services and our supply chains as well as the increasing need within our communities.

The Cabinet is recommended to ask the Council Meeting to:

·                Approve the Budget for 2022/23 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

·                Note the risk assessment of the 2022/23 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates also included at Appendix 5;

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

·                Note, comment upon and approve the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2022/23 to 2024/25  at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council; and

·                Pass the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2022/23 (1% General increase, 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase and 1.5 deferred 2021/22 Adult Social Care Precept increase)

as illustrated in Appendix 7.

The Deputy Leader of the Council & Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance (Councillor Tom McGee) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the 2022/23 Cabinet Revenue Budget for approval. It also outlined the Council’s financial outlook and significant challenges across the medium term period 2022/23 to 2024/25 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 following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The proposed investment in district centres was to be welcomed.

·         It was noted that it was proposed to provide additional resources to support veterans.

·         It was stated that the government needed to fundamentally reconsider how adult social care was funded and that it was inappropriate to use Council Tax as a vehicle for this.

·         There was an increasing reliance on the outcome of bidding processes to secure funding that was not sustainable in the long-term.

·         The transition to multi-year settlements would be a welcome development that would allow local authorities to properly plan their finances into the medium-term.

RESOLVED – That in relation to the 2022/23 Revenue Budget, the Council Meeting be recommended to:-

·         Approve the Budget for 2022/23 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

·         Note the risk assessment of the 2022/23 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates also included at Appendix 5;

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

·         Note, comment upon and approve the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2022/23 to 2024/25  at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council; and

·         Pass the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax increase of 3.5% in 2022/23 (1% General increase, 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase and 1.5 deferred 2021/22 Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7.