Agenda item

To approve the Council’s Budget for the Financial Year, 2013/14.  The Cabinet met on 6^th February 2013.  The following reports considered at this meeting relate to the Council’s Budget, 2013/14.

(i) Special Expenses (Pages 9 - 18) (For Information)

(ii) Budget 2013/14 and Beyond (Pages 19 - 162)

(iii) Capital Programme and Treasury Strategy Statement 2013/14

(Pages 163 - 186)

Appendices 2, 3 and 4 of (ii) above have been updated by the Board Director, of Resources to reflect the decisions made by the Cabinet.

Minutes 93, 94 and 95 relating to these reports are attached.

(Pages 187 - 192)

            Council considered (a) joint reports of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Board Director, Resources, considered by the Cabinet on 6^th February 2013 relating to (i) Special Expenses,(ii) Budget 2013/14 and Beyond, and (iii) Capital Programme and Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2013/14, and (b) Minute 93 of the Cabinet (Special Expenses), Minute 94 of the Cabinet (Budget 2013/14 and Beyond) and 95 of the Cabinet  (Capital Programme and Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2013/14).

            Councillor Mark Edwards moved and Councillor Roderick Bluh seconded:

“(1) That Minute 93 of the Cabinet (Special Expenses) be noted.

(2) That Minute 94(6) of the Cabinet (Budget 2013/14 and Beyond) be confirmed and adopted.

(3) That Minute 95(3) of the Cabinet Capital Programme and Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2013/14) be confirmed and adopted.”

At the request of the mover and seconder, and with the agreement of the Council the Motion was amended to read:

“(1) That Minute 93 of the Cabinet (Special Expenses) be noted.

Following consultation with residents and Councillors Minute 94(6) of the Cabinet (Budget 2013/14 and Beyond) be confirmed and adopted subject to:

(i) Increasing funding to small libraries by £99,000 to allow one year to develop sustainable, community-based options, and

(ii) Restoring £20,000 of funding to Threshold Housing.

(Total cost £119,000)

To be funded by further use of £119,000 of New Homes Bonus monies.”

Councillor Jim Grant moved and Councillor Des Moffatt t seconded that:

i)             That Council welcomes Cabinet’s announcement that it will no longer propose to cut £20,000 from Threshold Housing Link’s homelessness service.

ii)            That Council resolves to amend the Council Revenue Budget for 2013/14 as proposed at the February 6^th Cabinet Meeting, as follows:

Additional Savings and Reallocation of the New Homes Bonus

1. Management Savings through restructuring senior responsibilities (£100,000)

2. Forward Swindon Ltd (A further £250,000 savings in addition to the £200,000 already proposed)

·         £50,000 saved by moving Forward Swindon’s Offices back within Council Premises

·         The remaining savings will be found from joining up functions provided by Forward Swindon Ltd with the Council’s Economy and Attainment department and an in-house review will take place to assess what current Forward Swindon functions could be delivered by the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Parnership

3. Saving from reduced spend on Consultants (£163,000)

4. Cuts in the Communications and Insight Budget (£100,000)

• Savings to be made from staffing costs

5. Law and Democratic Services (£100,000)

• £16,000 saved from the start of the 2013/14 Municipal Year, by reducing the maximum number of fully-funded Cabinet Member posts by 2 to leave a maximum of 8 available
• The rest of the savings to be found from a reduction in dedicated scrutiny support for Council committees
• This staffing saving is intended to be accompanied with the reduction of the number of committees of the Council for the 2013/14 Municipal Year

6. Other Savings (£100,000)

• £83,000 cut in Corporate Training Budget
• Complete cut in refreshments and bottled water costs, leading to a £17,000 saving

7. Further New Homes Bonus (£367,000)

• £167,000 of the New Homes Bonus to be reallocated back to the Revenue Budget
• The remaining £200,000 to be reallocated to cover the one-off transition costs of reordering of Forward Swindon

        Total sum reallocated: £1.18million (£200,000 of this total used as one-off money and therefore would not be part of the base budget)

Areas in the 2013/14 Budget Proposals to be saved or will be new spend

1. £220,000  to increase the Road Maintenance Budget, specifically to address potholes
2. £100,000 to be increased in the Adult Learning Budget to provide additional retraining opportunities for the unemployed
3. £100,000 to be added to the Plan 500 budget specifically for extra apprenticeship opportunities to unemployed young people
4. £200,000 to retain the 2012/13 level of Bus subsidy for 2013/14

5. £190,000 Children’s Centres Cuts - To ensure that any money saved from a management reorganisation of Swindon’s Children’s Centres is reinvested back in to those centres for the benefit of Swindon’s children

6. £100,000 Council-Tax Hardship Fund - to provide early support to the identified households who are struggling to pay their Council-Tax bill as a result of the Council Tax Benefit changes, in order to prevent the use of bailiffs

7. £70,000 to ensure that the Dial a Ride service receives no funding cuts in the 2013/14 year

(Total: £980,000)

iii)           Council acknowledges the assistance provided to the mover and seconder of this motion by the Board Director Resources and Change Leader and by the Head of Finance.”

The Amendment was put to the vote and declared lost.

Councilor Stan Pajak moved and Councillor Anne Richards seconded that the Motion be amended as follows:

This Council notes the proposed decrease in the Localities Budget from £800,000 to £400,000.  It is acknowledged there is a consultation process currently underway around the structure of Localities.

This Council believes that the introduction of Locality Leads has lead to a considerable and tangible benefit to the lives of residents of the Borough of Swindon. 

This Council further believes that maintaining one locality lead per Locality and maintaining the current number of Localities, whilst retaining the link between Lead and Locality, will further benefit the residents of the Borough.

This Council resolves to amend the Substantive Motion to read:

“(1) That Minute 93 of the Cabinet (Special Expenses) be noted.

Following consultation with residents and Councillors Minute 94(6) of the Cabinet (Budget 2013/14 and Beyond) be confirmed and adopted subject to:

(i) Increasing funding to small libraries by £99,000 to allow one year to develop sustainable, community-based options, and

(ii) Restoring £20,000 of funding to Threshold Housing.

(iii) Reduce the proposed cut to the Locality Budget by £61,000 through the relocation of these funds from the New Homes Bonus.

(Total cost £180,000)

To be funded by further use of £180,000 of New Homes Bonus monies.

(iv) Ensure 7 Locality Lead posts remain and that these posts are linked to the existing Localities whilst allowing Locality Leads to also drive the Change Projects.

(v) Ensure that the Locality Leads retain their “trouble shooting” role, supporting Members on request.”

            The amendment was put to the vote and declared carried becoming the Substantive Motion.

            Councillor Stan Pajak moved and and Councillor Anne Richards second:

“To ensure that social and environmental factors continue to be considered as factors in determining the ideal Bus network should be this Council resolves no to take a £200,000 saving from the Bus Subsidy Budget in 2013/14 and to fund this money from the New Homes Budget.”

            The amendment was put to the vote and declared lost.

            The Substantive Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.