Agenda item

To consider a joint report of the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources.

The Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources (Councillor Jilly Julian) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which sought approval for the cabinet’s proposed 2024/25 revenue budget.

MOVED AND SECONDED – (1) That the budget for 2024/25 described in the report and set out in Appendices 2 and 3 be approved.

(2) That the use of available one-off resources to support the positive investment detailed in Section 6, subject to the council’s 2023/24 outturn position and the 2024/25 final settlement be approved.

(3) That the risk assessment of the 2024/25 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates (also at Appendix 5) be noted.

(4) That the required Council General Fund Balance to reflect the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer’s assessment of risks be approved.

(5) That the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2024/25 to 2027/28 at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the council be noted and approved.

(6) That the appropriate Council Tax resolutions be passed which produce a Council Tax increase of 4.99% in 2024/25 (2.99% General increase, 2% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7 be agreed.

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - That the Council Meeting gives approval to the proposed amendments to the 2024/25 Cabinet Revenue Budget put forward by the Labour Group and as set out in its proposals and summarised in the document entitled ‘Stockport Labour: Our Approach to the 2024/2025 Revenue Budget’ that had been circulated in advance of the meeting.

For the amendment 61.

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 Graham Greenhalgh); The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Kerry Waters); Councillors Geoff Abell, Shan Alexander, Jake Austin, Joe Barratt, Rosemary Barratt, Grace Baynham, Christine Carrigan, Anna Charles-Jones, Angie Clark, Laura Clingan, Liz Crix, Dickie Davies, Will Dawson, Dean Fitzpatrick, Colin Foster, Helen Foster-Grime, James Frizzell, Sue Glithero, Graham Greenhalgh, Steve Gribbon, Yvonne Guariento, Dominic Hardwick, Helen Hibbert, Keith Holloway, Ian Hunter, Mark Hunter, Dallas Jones, Mark Jones, Jilly Julian, Gary Lawson, Colin MacAlister, Carole McCann, Holly McCormack, Jeremy Meal, Wendy Meikle, David Meller, Janet Mobbs, Tom Morrison, Ian Powney, Mark Roberts, Dena Ryness, David Sedgwick, Becky Senior, Will Sharp, Frankie Singleton, Lisa Smart, Charlie Stewart, Catherine Stuart, Leah Taylor, John Taylor, Aron Thornley, Sue Thorpe, Claire Vibert, Karl Wardlaw, Pete West, Wendy Wild, Rachel Wise, Suzanne Wyatt, Alex Wynne and Matt Wynne.

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

RESOLVED – (61 for) - (1) That the budget for 2024/25 described in the report and set out in Appendices 2 and 3 be approved.

(2) That the use of available one-off resources to support the positive investment detailed in Section 6, subject to the council’s 2023/24 outturn position and the 2024/25 final settlement be approved.

(3) That the risk assessment of the 2024/25 Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates (also at Appendix 5) be noted.

(4) That the required Council General Fund Balance to reflect the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer’s assessment of risks be approved.

(5) That the financial forecasts and assumptions for 2024/25 to 2027/28 at Appendix 6, and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the council be noted and approved.

(6) That the appropriate Council Tax resolutions be passed which produce a Council Tax increase of 4.99% in 2024/25 (2.99% General increase, 2% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 7 be agreed.

Subject to:

·         undertaking a full assessment, with due regard to the Socio-Economic Duty, of the saving proposals for libraries (no financial impact); 

·         undertaking a full assessment, with due regard to the Socio-Economic Duty, of the savings proposals for parking (no financial impact);

·         investing an additional £160,000 into drainage cleaning with a view to purchasing a new gully cleaner (to be funded by the council’s Invest to Save reserve); and

·         undertaking a full, independent review to help determine the right model for managing Stockport’s housing stock, given the legislative and regulatory changes that had taken place and the financial position the council was in. This included considering whether the existing ALMO model – Stockport Homes – continued to be the right one for Stockport, its tenants, and residents (at a cost of £100,000, to be funded by the council’s Invest to Save reserve). 

The names of those councillors voting on this resolution, was recorded as follows:

Those councillors who voted for the resolution were:

The Mayor (Councillor Graham Greenhalgh); The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Kerry Waters); Councillors Geoff Abell, Shan Alexander, Jake Austin, Joe Barratt, Rosemary Barratt, Grace Baynham, Christine Carrigan, Anna Charles-Jones, Angie Clark, Laura Clingan, Liz Crix, Dickie Davies, Will Dawson, Dean Fitzpatrick, Colin Foster, Helen Foster-Grime, James Frizzell, Sue Glithero,  Steve Gribbon, Yvonne Guariento, Dominic Hardwick, Helen Hibbert, Keith Holloway, Ian Hunter, Mark Hunter, Dallas Jones, Mark Jones, Jilly Julian, Gary Lawson, Colin MacAlister, Carole McCann, Holly McCormack, Jeremy Meal, Wendy Meikle, David Meller, Janet Mobbs, Tom Morrison, Ian Powney, Mark Roberts, Dena Ryness, David Sedgwick, Becky Senior, Will Sharp, Frankie Singleton, Lisa Smart, Charlie Stewart, Catherine Stuart, Leah Taylor, John Taylor, Aron Thornley, Sue Thorpe, Claire Vibert, Karl Wardlaw,  Pete West, Wendy Wild, Rachel Wise, Suzanne Wyatt, Alex Wynne and Matt Wynne.