Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Langhorn)

Report of Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Financial Services

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Langhorn)

Cabinet received a report from the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Financial Services to provide information on the policy framework and latest budget position for current and future years, to inform Cabinet’s budget proposals and to allow it to make final recommendations on to Council regarding Council Tax levels for 2011/12.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Options were dependent very much on Members’ views on spending priorities balanced against Council Tax levels.  As such, a full options analysis could only be undertaken once any alternative proposals were known and it should be noted that Officers may require more time in order to do this.  Outline options were highlighted below, however.

–        Regarding Council Tax, various options were set out at section 8 of the report.  In considering these, Members should have regard to the impact on service delivery, the need to make savings or provide for growth, the impact on future years and the likelihood of capping.

-        With regard to considering or developing savings and growth options to produce a budget in line with preferred Council Tax levels, any proposals put forward by Cabinet should be considered alongside the development of priorities and in light of the public consultation.  Emphasis should be very much on the medium to longer term position, given that further reductions in revenue funding are expected in future, in line with Government’s Spending Review.

-        With regard to items for noting, no options were presented.

Under the Constitution, Cabinet is required to put forward budget proposals for Council’s consideration, in time for them to be referred back as appropriate.  This is why recommendations are required to feed into the Council meeting in February, prior to the actual Budget Council in March.

Officer preferred options were reflected in the recommendations, where appropriate.

The provisional Settlement was much better than expected, albeit that the Council still faced significant year on year funding reductions; this highlights how much expectations have shifted in recent months.  The Council had been successful in achieving major budget reductions and therefore in the short-term, the Council’s revenue prospects may be easily managed but the medium to longer term must not be overlooked; the challenge of balancing the Council’s budget beyond 2011/12 to deliver its corporate priorities still remained.  With regard to capital, the key risks still centred on completing land sales and reaching decisions on stalled regeneration schemes.

Councillor Langhorn proposed, seconded by Councillor Barry:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

By way of amendment which was accepted as a friendly amendment by the mover and seconder of the original proposition, Councillor Ashworth proposed:

“That recommendation 3 be revised and the words ‘partnership working with Lancashire County Council and’ be inserted between ‘with the costs being funded from’ and ‘ongoing savings already approved in developing the budget.’

By way of an amendment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94