Agenda and minutes

In accordance with Rule 8, paragraph c, Part 3 – Rules of Procedure, Section 3, the Chair and Vice Chair shall not be members of the largest political group which has Councillors serving on the Cabinet. 

It was proposed by Councillor Black, seconded by Councillor Dennison and unanimously agreed:-

“That Councillor Joan Jackson be appointed Vice-Chair of the Budget and Performance Panel for the Municipal Year.”

Resolved:-

That Councillor Joan Jackson be appointed Vice-Chair of the Budget and Performance Panel for the Municipal Year. 

The Vice-Chair took the Chair. 

Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 March 2022 (previously circulated). 

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 17th March 2022 were signed by the Vice-Chair as a correct record.

There were no items of urgent business.

To receive declarations by Councillors of interests in respect of items on this Agenda. 

Councillors are reminded that, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011, they are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests which have not already been declared in the Council’s Register of Interests. (It is a criminal offence not to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest either in the Register or at the meeting). 

Whilst not a legal requirement, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 and in the interests of clarity and transparency, Councillors should declare any disclosable pecuniary interests which they have already declared in the Register, at this point in the meeting. 

In accordance with Part B Section 2 of the Code Of Conduct, Councillors are required to declare the existence and nature of any other interests as defined in paragraphs 8(1) or 9(2) of the Code of Conduct. 

There were no declarations of interest made at this point.

To be provided by Councillor Caroline Jackson, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Anne Whitehead, the Cabinet Member with particular responsibility for Finance and Resources and Mark Davies, Chief Executive and Paul Thompson, Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer. 

Note:  All Members of Council have been invited to the meeting for this item. 

Councillor Caroline Jackson, the Leader of the Council and Councillor Anne Whitehead, the Cabinet Member with particular responsibility for Finance and Resources had been invited to this meeting to address the panel concerning the outcomes of Cabinet’s established priorities and intentions. Mark Davies, Chief Executive, had also been invited together with Paul Thompson, Head of Finance and Section 151 Officer who was also invited to give a presentation. All elected members had been invited to the meeting for this item.

Councillor Caroline Jackson addressed the panel and provided an update on progress made towards the goals that were reported the previous year at this panel. The following subjects were reported:-

·       The Revenue and Capital Budgets.

·       Outcomes Based Resourcing and Performance Monitoring.

·       Large-scale ongoing projects including Mainway, the Canal Quarter and the Frontierland site.

·       The Eden Project

·       Asset Management

The Section 151 Officer then gave his presentation on the Financial Overview and Strategic Direction of the City Council.

Members were presented with information concerning the current budget and the financial pressures faced by the City Council and the financial resilience measures and projects being undertaken to guide the strategic direction of the Council in the years to come. 

Members then asked questions on the following subjects:-

·       Existing and proposed measures to reduce gas and electricity usage at Council properties.

·       The potential for a review of planned spending and a freeze on reserves.

·       Business rates associated with Heysham Power Station and the proposed Eden Project site.

·       The impact of smaller projects on the wider Corporate Programmes of which they form a part.

·       The provision of a SWOT analysis to provide a broader overview of the Council’s financial and strategic position.

Councillor Anne Whitehead highlighted the budgetary difficulties faced by the City Council and drew a comparison to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic where budget revisions were required in short order. She spoke of the increasing difficulty of delivering balanced budgets but stressed the importance of moving forward to ensure the City Council remains financially viable while providing the required statutory services and the need to work more closely with partners and the community to achieve the Council’s outcomes.

The Vice-Chair, on behalf of the Panel, thanked Cabinet Members and officers for their attendance, for the presentation and information provided. 

Report of the Chief Executive. 

The panel received a report from the Chief Executive that provided an update on performance and projects during quarter 4 of 2021/22 (January-March 2022) and some annual measures covering April-March 2022.

Mark Davies, Chief Executive, introduced the report. Councillor Whitehead provided an update on current Corporate Programmes and the work done to make information on each project available for Members to view. She also spoke to the panel about the Q4 21/22 performance reporting and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on some of the reported figures as well as how the Outcomes Based Resourcing project will improve performance monitoring.

Resolved: -

That the report be noted.

The Panel to consider. 

Members were advised that next meeting of the Panel is scheduled for 29^th September.

It was noted that the former Chair of the Panel had previously requested additional meetings to provide an overview of each Directorate in terms of service units and their subjective budgets.  The dates of these meetings were now to be agreed after consultation between the Vice-Chair of the Panel and relevant Officers.