Agenda item

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 off in our borough by a cost of living rebate in 2022/23. This would be given to all those living in properties in council tax band A to D.

·         Funding this by using £1.599m from general reserves in 2022/23.

·         The Cabinet being recommended to ensure that those residents in bands E to H properties but on low incomes are duly considered for the discretionary funding which is being made available by Government for those in need of support.

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

Those councillors who voted for the resolution 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 voted against the resolution were:-

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