Issue - meetings

This report presents proposals for additional funding for both revenue and capital budgets to deliver the new Corporate Strategy. It also presents plans for savings and income generation as well as recommendations for Council Tax and Adult Social Care Precept for 2020/21.

Nicolette Boater made a statement to the Panel, a copy of which can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book and a summary is set out below.

I welcome this administration’s Corporate Strategy. Indeed, it communicates the Council’s core purpose, activities and associated budgetary priorities more clearly, concisely and effectively than many I’ve seen in the past. However, my purpose today is not to flatter, but to enhance and ensure the Strategy delivers.

My first suggestion is that, rather than just two core policies (responding to last

year’s Climate Emergency declaration and election promises), you have more and broader well-being policies thereby enabling you to strengthen the links between policy goals, activities and budgetary priorities.

Doing so might, for example, help prioritise actions to address the worrying unsustainability of the 83.5% of the net budget going on Social Care and the impact this might have on residents’ lives and community resilience.

Secondly, I hope that the holistic approach implicit in the three interlocking principles

carries through to the appraisal of investments and outcomes, and especially in relation to those straddling service areas and/or impacting on multiple communities and organizations.

Thirdly, to demonstrate progress, it seems that much more needs to be done to align

strategies, identify critical paths, and to develop a range of appropriate performance

indicators and metrics. In this, focusing on what matters and being mindful of what can’t be measured will be key.

Finally, in communicating the Strategy, as one who has long recognized that a good picture speaks louder than pages of words, I would love to see the outer circle of the diagram highlighting more policy goals.

Councillor Richard Samuel explained to the Panel that the setting of a budget is not a static process and that with a change in administration comes new priorities. He said that the process around Government funding is changing around us and we are still waiting for them to adequately fund Adult Social Care.

He stated that existing pressures are recognised within the budget and that the new Corporate Strategy underpins this process.

The Director of Finance added that the report seeks to outline the major aspects of the budget and show how they are aligned with the Corporate Strategy.

She informed the Panel that the Equalities Impact Assessments were set out on page 22 of the agenda.

She stated that a Council Tax increase of 1.99% is being recommended as part of the budget as well as an increase to the Adult Social Care precept of 1.99% for 2019/20 to continue to protect front-line services. The Adult Social Care precept will be specifically targeted to increases in expenditure within the ASC service. This equates to an increase of £55.76 per annum (£1.07 per week) overall on a Band D property.

She informed the Panel that the budget gap for 2021/22 is estimated to be £9.1m and there are currently savings plans totalling £2.4m to address this gap. Plans will be formulated early in the new financial year to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46