Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Mark Elliott, introduced the report.

Panel members raised the following points and asked the following questions:

Councillor Simon stated that according to the risk table, it seems the risks are pretty low, especially cyber security. The officer statedthat the numbers themselves are more an illustration, the actual risk register goes through assurance at steering group and capital strategy group before informal cabinet.

Councillor Hughes asked if councillors will have access to dashboards and training. The officer stated that they would.

Councillor Treby stated his concerns with borrowing £325 million over five years. He stated that during scrutiny of the budget, we would need to understand the breakdown of what comes from grants/borrowing etc. The officer explained that borrowing includes internal borrowing. Councillor Treby stated that money internally borrowed is not then available for other things.

Councillor Hughes stated that that the graph should be detailed in a way that reflects what we’re doing. The Cabinet Member explained it isn’t misleading, corporate supported borrowing means financed from council’s funding, not necessarily external loans. Treasury management ensures we don’t borrow unnecessarily.

Councillor Treby stated that when the Panel scrutinize the budget, we need to see what pays back and how long it takes otherwise we can’t prioritize properly.

The officer stated that future reports will include clearer linkage between project benefits, funding sources, and repayment timelines.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and officers.