Issue - meetings

Councillor Russell Holland, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Commercialisation, Education, and Skills along with the Corporate Director of Finance and Assets introduced a joint report that presented the 2020/21 revenue budget forecast out-turn.

Councillor Holland advised Cabinet that while the position was of concern, the final government grants had not been determined and that he remained confident that there would be further support.

Councillor Jim Grant and Councillor Dale Heenan, Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, Culture, and Heritage, asked a number of questions, to which the Leader, Councillor Brian Ford - Cabinet Member for Adults and Health – and Councillor Holland responded at the meeting.

·        Could Members have copies of the letter and response to the government following the Council’s resolution (Minute 24, 9^th July 2020)? The Leader undertook to circulate any correspondence at the next Council meeting.

·        How would the Council address any potential shortfall in government funding? The Council would use its ongoing programme of reviewing how it could provide all services more efficiently. The Council, working with local MPs and the LGA would continue to lobby central government.

·        If there were a shortfall, would there be redundancies? The Council would only use compulsory redundancies as a last resort and after due consultation with staff and Unions.

·        Did the current government grants cover higher expenditure rather than lost income? It would not be possible to comment until the Council had received the final round of grants. Prior to Covid-19, the Council still faced higher demand for personalised care services due to demographic pressures, although in the main spending area, Adult Social Care, officers had already generated additional savings to reduce any potential overspend.

Resolved – (1) That the 2020/21 revenue budget forecast out-turn for each service area set out in Table 1 and Appendix 1 to the main report be noted;

(2) That the update on the COVID-19 funding support be noted;

(3) That in be noted that the Corporate Management Team will develop plans to mitigate the current forecast overspend;

(4) That the virements set out in Appendix 2 to the main report be approved;

(5) That the maintenance of Members’ Allowances at the current approved level be approved.

The reasons for the decision and alternative options are as set out in the report to the meeting.