Agenda item

The report attached presents the Council’s Corporate and Budget Planning 2019-2020. Please note appendix 5 and 6 will be sent out at a later date.

David Trethewey – Director of Partnerships and Corporate Services and Donna Parham – Director of Finance introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Efficiency, Councillor Charles Gerrish was present to answer questions.

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

The Panel noted the comments from other PDS Panels.

Councillor O Brien pointed to the high and medium risk factors in Appendix 2 (such as office accommodation) and asked if officers were confident that the strategy for savings was sufficiently robust. The Finance Director responded that 35% of savings plans are marked as high risk this year whereas it was over 60% this year so this was a better position. She further explained that the budget contingency is being added to and all high and medium risk factors will be monitored.

Councillor Becker asked how this authority compares to others regarding Council Tax. The Finance Director explained that this authority is currently third lowest in Council Tax charges in the region and should remain so despite the increase.

Councillor O Brien asked if our key partners (for example social housing providers) would be proactive in supporting the savings proposed. The Director of Partnerships and Corporate Services explained that part of the purpose of the Core Offer is to be clear what the authority can afford to deliver and to enable a more honest engagement with partners and the community.

Councillor Rayment noted the comments from the Communities, Transport and Environment Panel and asked if they had been followed up. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Efficiency, Councillor Charles Gerrish confirmed that the relevant Cabinet Member had noted the comments and will report back where requested.