Agenda item

This report presents the Cabinet's draft medium term financial plan, and revenue and capital budgets for the 2012/13 financial year together with a proposal for a Council Tax level for 2012/13

The Chair introduced Councillor John Bull, Chair of the Resources PDS Panel, who referred to the Summary of the Panel’s Budget Recommendations to Cabinet [a copy of which had been placed in the public gallery before the meeting, and is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 9 and on the Council’s website].  Councillor Bull drew the Cabinet’s attention to each point in turn. He called in particular for the Cabinet to ensure rigorous monitoring of the effects of the Budget on vulnerable young people, because the Panel had been concerned that the Equalities Impact Assessment for Adult Social Care and Housing, People and Communities had not properly considered this.

Councillor Charles Gerrish made an ad hoc statement in which he expressed concern that the Heritage Services business plan had been based on the depressed visitor figures from the bad winter of 2010.  He also asked Cabinet to delay any decision on the mobile library service until the consultation period had completed.  He emphasised the Council’s responsibility to isolated communities and vulnerable people.  He suggested that the Council’s recycling facilities should open and close an hour later on Sundays, because more people would be likely to use it later in the day.

Councillor John Bull made an ad hoc statement in which he welcomed the allocation of extra funds for affordable homes and the funding for transferring Paulton Library to a community-run facility in a vacant shop.  He expressed big doubts, however, about the proposed reduction in the social care budget.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson made an ad hoc statement in which she agreed that the quality of the equality impact assessments was a cause for concern.  She referred to the cuts to the Equality Team and to the Policy and Partnerships Team, who were responsible for monitoring.

Councillor David Bellotti, in moving the recommendations, emphasised that the proposals would ensure a reduction in borrowing; a zero increase in Council Tax; improved services; and more local projects.  He was grateful to Councillor Bull for the Resource Panel’s contribution to the debate.  He confirmed that the Cabinet recognised the need for regular scrutiny of all the higher risk savings in the Proposed Budget for 2012/2013 including the £825K for the residential care costs of adults with learning difficulties.  The Cabinet would ask officers to ensure that the progress and delivery of all such high risk savings was included within the quarterly Budget Outturn Monitoring reports.

He felt that the observation made by Councillor Gerrish about the winter visitor figures was a fair comment, although the November figures had also shown the same picture so he was confident about the outcome.  He promised to pass the idea about Sunday Recycling Opening times to the Divisional Director, Environmental Services, for his consideration because he agreed it was a good idea.  He emphasised that the cuts being proposed for libraries was a quarter of the cut being made by central government to the Council’s library funding.  The Budget would protect libraries better than neighbouring authorities had been able to do.

He referred to Councillor Jenkins’ comments about responsibility for equalities.  He felt that all Council officers must take ownership of the equalities agenda, and that this must not be left to be a centralised team.

Councillor Paul Crossley seconded the proposal and thanked all who had worked so hard to prepare the budget, particularly the Finance Department.  He observed that all the surrounding Councils had needed to make cuts, but this Council had been able to make a balanced budget based almost entirely on efficiency savings.  He was particularly pleased about the proposals to increase affordable housing; slowing traffic in built-up areas; improving local facilities; supporting young care-leavers; and supporting elderly independent living.

Councillor Roger Symonds expressed his delight that the grant to support the Bath Transportation Package had been confirmed late in 2011; the Budget proposals would allocate £1.6M to a reviewed Rossiter Road scheme; and that there was a continuing commitment to support community transport, particularly in vulnerable areas.

Councillor Cherry Beath said that the Heritage Business Plan showed how the increased profit will be achieved and sustained.  She was delighted that there were significant regeneration investments in Radstock, Keynsham and London Road.  She had also been delighted that the Cabinet’s intention to get the best deal for Broadband Delivery had been achieved, which would be of most benefit in the rural areas.

Councillor Nathan Hartley welcomed the increasing number of apprentices and the decline in young people Not In Education, Employment or Training.  He observed that the overall cuts in the budget had been less than 0.5%.  In his own portfolio he referred to increases of £100K for children in care and £100K for young people leaving care.  The proposals would protect targeted youth services and youth democracy.  The dedicated schools grant had been about the same as last year.

Councillor Simon Allen observed that the proposal was for a balanced budget.  Cuts had been made where necessary, so as to improve services where necessary.  The cuts to Learning Disability Residential funding would be challenging, but were counterbalanced by increases in personal budgets.

Councillor Tim Ball observed that the whole framework of nationally funded local services was changing.  He welcomed that appointment of a planning enforcement officer, which would enable planning officers to deal with planning applications more effectively.  He referred to the £500K allocation for social housing, and money to bring unused housing back into use.

Councillor David Bellotti summed up by referring to the update document [a copy of which had been placed in the public gallery before the meeting and is attached to these Minutes as Appendix 10 and on the Council’s website].  He was pleased to say that Cabinet had been able to clarify in that document that £32K would be allocated to support the 6/7 Bus Service.  He talked the Cabinet through the document, including three typographical amendments to the budget proposals document.

He confirmed that, as required in the Localism Act, the Council would be asked as part of the Budget to confirm the authority’s Pay Policy.

On a motion from Councillor David Bellotti, seconded by Councillor Paul Crossley, it was

RESOLVED (unanimously)

(1) To RECOMMEND that the Council approve:

(a) The General Fund net revenue budget for 2012/13 of £120.106m with no increase in Council Tax;

(b) That no Special Expenses be charged other than Town and Parish Council precepts for 2012/13;

(c) The adequacy of reserves, with a risk-assessed level of £10.5m;

(d) The individual service cash limits for 2012/13 as detailed in the report;

(e) That the specific arrangements for the governance and release of reserves, including invest to save proposals, be delegated to the Council’s Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Resources and the Chief Executive;

(2) To RECOMMEND that the Council include the precepts set and approved by other bodies including the Local Precepts of Town Councils, Parish Councils and the Charter Trustees of the City of Bath, and those of the Fire and Police Authorities in its Council Tax setting;

(3) To RECOMMEND that the Council acknowledges the Section 151 officer's report on the robustness of the proposed budget and the adequacy of the Council's reserves and approves the conditions upon which the recommendations are made as set out in the report;

(4) To RECOMMEND that in relation to the capital budget the Council:

(a) approves a capital programme of £37.471m for 2012/13 and notes items for provisional approval in 2012/13 and the programme for 2013/14 to 2016/17 as shown in the report, including the planned sources of funding;

(b) approves the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy;

(c)  approves the Capital Prudential Indicators;

(5) To RECOMMEND to Council that the Council notes the Policy Development & Scrutiny review of Medium Term Service and Resource Plans and 2012/13 Service Action Plans and instructs the relevant officers to finalise and publish their Medium Term Service and Resource Plans and Service Action Plans by end of March 2012, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member and in light of feedback from the PD&S reviews, and in line with the approved cash limits; and

(6) To AUTHORISE the Divisional Director – Finance, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Resources, to make any necessary presentational improvements to the draft budget proposal for submission to Council.