Issue - decisions

The Council Meeting has:-

(1) Agreed the Budget for 2019/20 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

(2) Noted the risk assessment of the Budget at Appendix 5 and the report of the Borough Treasurer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates included at Appendix 5;

(3) Noted and comment upon the financial forecasts for 2019/20 to 2022/23 (Appendix 6), and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council;

(4) Approved the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Capital Programme and the funding arrangements as described in the report and set out at Appendix 7; and

(5) Approve the prudential indicators set out in Appendix 8;

Subject to:-

·         The removal of the budget proposal relating to reducing Ward funds, protecting them at their current level creating an additional savings requirement of £0.216m ongoing.

·         For 2019/20 and 2020/21, fund this by using the historic underspend of £0.468m, putting any surplus in to general reserves.

·         For 2021/22 onwards, add to the Council’s savings requirement £0.216m, to be found from outside frontline service delivery. This would be an increase of under 1% of the savings requirement for that year.

The Cabinet considered it’s proposed 2019/20 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme investment plans, outlining the Council’s financial outlook and challenges across the medium term period 2019/20 – 2022/23 and recommended to the Council Meeting that it:-

•        approve the Budget for 2019/20 described in the report and set out in Appendix 2 and 3;

•        note the risk assessment of the Budget at Appendix 5 of the report and the report of the Borough Treasurer on the adequacy of proposed financial reserves and robustness of the estimates included at Appendix 5;

•        note and comment upon the financial forecasts for 2019/20 to 2022/23 (Appendix 6 of the report), and the key issues to be addressed in formulating a response to the future financial challenges facing the Council;

•        approve the 2019/20 to 2021/22 Capital Programme and the funding arrangements as described in the report and set out at Appendix 7 of the report;

•        approve the prudential indicators set out in Appendix 8 of the report; and

•        pass the appropriate Council Tax resolutions which produce a Council Tax increase of 2.75% (1.75% General increase and 1% Adult Social Care Precept increase) as illustrated in Appendix 9 of the report.