Decision details

(a) To propose revenue and capital budgets for all General Fund portfolios for the financial years 2022/23, (estimate), 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 (forecast).
(b) To recommend the level of Council Tax for 2022/23.

Matter for decision

The Budget Setting Report and the Executive Amendment (the latter published on 1 February) reflected what would be proposed to the Executive and if approved to Council.

 

Decision of the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources

 

To recommend the Executive to:

General Fund Revenue Budgets: [Section 5, page 26 refers]

Agree any recommendations for submission to the Executive in respect of:

• Revenue Pressures and Bids shown in Appendix B(b) and Savings shown in Appendix B(c).

• Non-Cash Limit items as shown in Appendix B(d).

• Bids to be funded from External Funding sources as shown in Appendix B(e).

 

Capital: [Section 6, page 29 refers]

 

Capital Plan:

Agree any recommendations for submission to the Executive in respect of the proposals outlined in Appendix C(a) for inclusion in the Capital Plan.

 

To recommend to the Council:

Formally confirming delegation to the Chief Financial Officer (Head of Finance) of the calculation and determination of the Council Tax taxbase (including submission of the National Non-Domestic Rates Forecast Form, NNDR1, for each financial year) which is set out in Appendix A(a).

 

The level of Council Tax for 2022/23 as set out in Appendix A (b) (to follow for Council) and Section 4 [page 17 refers].

 

Other Revenue:

 

Delegation to the Head of Finance authority to finalise changes relating to any further corporate and/or departmental restructuring and any reallocation of support service and central costs, in accordance with the CIPFA Service Reporting Code of Practice for Local Authorities (SeRCOP).

 

Capital:

 

Deletion from the Capital Plan of the Cambridge Junction capital scheme, as set out in Section 6 [page 29 refers].

 

Subject to any Executive decision above, recommend to Council the revised Capital Plan for the General Fund as set out in Appendix C(c) and the Funding as set out in Section 6, page 29.

 

General Fund Reserves:

 

Note the impact of revenue budget approvals and the resulting contribution from reserves to support service delivery [Section 8, page 44 refers].

 

Approve the allocation of funding on a contingency basis to the collaborative ‘Changing Futures’ programme project [Section 8, page 44 refers].

 

Note the resulting level of reserves [Section 8, page 44 refers].

Section 25 Report.

 

Note the Chief Finance Officer’s Section 25 Report included in Section 10 of the BSR [page 65 refers].

 

Review of Charges:

 

Note the schedule of proposed fees and charges for 2022/23 in Appendix F.

 

Reason for the decision

As detailed in the officer report.

 

Any alternative options considered and rejected

None.

 

Scrutiny considerations

Committee asked the following:

Why was there no provision for inflation?

How can Members scrutinise Transformation proposals?

 

The Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources replied that:

A full council review of the effect of inflationary pressure would be undertaken prior to adopting the Medium Term Financial Strategy in October 2022, but at present the approach first taken at MTFS 2021 of not inflation proofing because of both the current inflation rate uncertainty, and additional savings burden, was the recommended approach.  Regarding Transformation, a new Director of Transformation has been in post for 6 weeks and there will be a clear programme and further all Member briefings.

 

The Chair took questions on the BSR portfolio by portfolio.  Members of the Executive were present to answer questions from the Committee and spokespersons.

 

Finance and Resources:

It was confirmed the head leaseholders of Lion Yard did not want the Council to invest in any proposed developments.  The Council’s Officers meet the head leaseholders every quarter.

 

The Council’s property assets are under review and the Executive has given no direction regarding the future use of the Guildhall.

 

On Clay Farm s106, if it was required that a dispute resolution was required to arbitrate between the Council and Developer it would take between 3-6 months although it was hoped that would not be required.  If an income stream becomes a reality following the dispute resolution, it would be incorporated into the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

General Fund Housing:

Regarding the retrofitting grant, although it could not be used for HRA Council Properties and is for households with income less thank £30k, the Council is looking at ways to pick up eligible customers in the areas where the work is being planned on council housing.

 

Planning Policy and Transport:

Cllrs Bick and Porrer expressed concerns that the financial and usage data in relation to the decision taken on bus subsidy at Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee on 11 January were only made known in the Executive Amendment.

 

The Director confirmed that the usage data had been previously submitted to committee but should ideally have been repeated in the most recent report. In regards to the financial data, the Director confirmed that a decision to stop the payment had been deferred owing to both the expectation, initially, that the pandemic impact would be of a shorter duration, and a request from Government, but that subject to the outcome of further queries, a refund on unused subsidy was being sought. Future provision of the service will be associated with the emerging Local Transport Plan.

 

Climate Change, Environment and City Centre

With reference to the out of hours service it was confirmed that the matter would come back to members of the Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee in October 2022 with a full years data so that the decision taken last month can be confirmed or if needed, budget provision considered in time for future years.

 

With reference to public toilet provision, the income loss needed to be reflected and related to Park Street and Arbury Court toilets closing.

 

The scrutiny committee supported the recommendations 4-2 on the Executive Amendment and 4-0 on the original recommendations.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations as amended.

 

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensation granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.