Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision

The Officer’s report presented a summary of the 2014/15 outturn position (actual income and expenditure) for services within the Environment and Waste portfolio, compared to the final budget for the year. The position for revenue and capital was reported and variances from budgets were highlighted, together with explanations. Requests to carry forward funding arising from certain budget underspends into 2015/16 were identified.

Decision of Executive Councillor for Environment and Waste

     i.        Agreed the carry forward requests totalling £96,400 as detailed in Appendix C of the Officer’s report, to be recommended to Council for approval.

    ii.        Agreed to seek approval from Council to carry forward capital resources to fund rephrased net capital spending of £537,000 from 2014/15 into 2015/16, as detailed in Appendix D of the Officer’s report.

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Head of Finance which noted that the outturn reports presented to the Committee cycle reflected the reporting structures in place prior to the recent changes in Executive portfolios.

In light of these changes (together with the requirement to report outturn on the basis of portfolios in place during 2014/15) members of this committee were asked to consider the proposals to carry forward budgets and make their views known to the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, for consideration at Strategy & Resources Scrutiny Committee prior to the recommendations to Council.

In response to the Committee’s comments Officers and the Director of Environment and the Executive Councillor for Environment and Waste made the following statements:

     i.        Following a change in the process the previous year the recharges were now allocated slightly differently.

    ii.        Although it appeared there were differences line by line between original budgets and final budgets, the total budget had not changed, only the way in which the overhead costs had been allocated across budget lines. The restructuring of overhead costs was deemed to be a technical adjustment.

   iii.        The carry forward request of £50,000 for the new post of Contracts Manager was for a fixed twelve month contract pending further review. The recruitment process had been followed but the Director of Environment would confirm to the Committee the basis on which the decision had been made.

  iv.        Confirmed that few adjustments had gone through the Mid year Financial Review

   v.        Although the overall capital for streets and open spaces had not changed significantly compared to previous years, there had been an increase in monies spent which had focused on public priorities, such as the recruitment of a dog warden, additional money on posters, bins and enforcement. 

  vi.        Officers were working to improve the accounting reporting process for scrutiny.

 vii.        The bulk of the underspend related to the purchase of new vehicles which had been ordered in the second half of the previous year but the monies had been spent in the first quarter of this financial year. 

The Committee resolved (6 votes to 0) to endorse the recommendations.

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.