Agenda item

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

This report reaffirms the Cabinet’s commitment to addressing the volatile, complex and uncertain financial landscape. This will involve remaining committed to developing the Council’s MTFP Strategy to address the significant financial challenge ahead and strengthen the Council’s long term financial resilience. The MTFP Strategy will continue to focus on the five themes identified to frame the difficult choices that are needed to make. Using the themes as a lens with which to view services, we will ensure these decisions deliver against our ambitions and priorities for Stockport, whilst ensuring the future sustainability of the Council and the services provided to Stockport residents. Whilst recognising that this will require transformational change to the way services are delivered which will be a long term process, the need to support the annual budget setting process for 2020/21 is also recognised. On this basis the saving proposals outlined in this report have identified £4.250m of full year savings to support the Council’s 2020/21 Budget.

Cabinet is recommended to:

·         discuss the progress outlined within this report;

·         consider the budget options and proposals outlined in section 2 and 3 and within the appendices and with regards to these areas:

o   commence appropriate consultation and engagement on proposals;

o   invite scrutiny committees to discuss and comment upon proposals relating to their remit.

Officer contact: Holly Rae, 0161 474 3014, holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Cabinet to consider proposals for its response to the financial challenges facing the Council to inform the 2020/21 financial year, and informed by the review of the Medium Term Financial Plan and the principle’s set out in the Cabinet’s MTFP Strategy.

The Cabinet Member emphasised the challenges facing the Council and the difficulty of the decisions that will need to be taken. The proposals set out in the report would be subject to consultation with scrutiny committees and the public. He also emphasised that no decisions had been taken on Council Tax level but that the lower any increase in Council Tax was, the greater the savings requirement. The Cabinet Member acknowledged the increasing burden of local taxation on residents, but emphasised the increasing demand for services for the most vulnerable residents.

The Leader of the Council emphasised the importance of the Medium Term Financial Strategy and its five key themes, that placed residents at the heart of the budget development process, but also encouraged innovation and ambition.

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport thanked partner bodies, particularly TLC and Life Leisure, for their engagement in the development of the draft proposals.

RESOLVED – That in relation to the Cabinet response to the Medium Term Financial Plan and budget choices for 2020/21:-

·           the budget options and proposals outlined in section 2 and 3 of the report and within the appendices be noted and with regards to these areas approval be given to commence appropriate consultation and engagement on proposals; and

·           scrutiny committees be invited to discuss and comment upon proposals relating to their remit.