Agenda and minutes

Nominations are invited for the appointment of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Shared Revenues and Benefits Service Joint Committee for the remainder of the 2022/23 Municipal Year. 

The Head of Democratic Services, Lancaster City Council, invited nomination for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Shared Revenues and Benefits Services Joint Committee for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

Resolved – (i) That Councillor Whitehead be appointed as Chair of the Joint Committee for 2022/23; and

                    (ii) that Councillor Rawlinson be appointed as Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee for 2022/23.

·       Fire Procedures / Mobile Phones / Rest Rooms

·       “Members of the Public, committee members and officers are reminded that under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, the press and Public may film, audio record, photograph and use social media whilst the meeting is in progress, for Part A items only, and as long as no disruption is caused to the meeting. Anyone filming is asked to focus their attention on elected members rather than other visitors”. (To be read out if visitors present). 

The Chair of the Joint Committee advised that whilst the four substantive items on the agenda were not available at the time the agenda was published, items 6 through to 11 refer, she agreed to accept them as urgent items as they contained financial information that needed to be considered as part of the budget process for each Council before February 2023, with the next meeting of the Committee scheduled for July 2023.

There were none.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members. 

There were none.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 26 July 2021. 

Resolved - That the minute of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 26 July 2021 be noted and signed as a correct record.

Report enclosed. 

The Director of Resources (Preston City Council) submitted a report requesting that the Shared Revenue and Benefits Service Joint Committee considers and approves the Annual Governance Statement for 2021/22.  The Annual Governance Statement was set out in the appendix A to the report.

Resolved – That the Joint Committee approved the Annual Governance Statement for 2021/22, as set out in the appendix to the report, subject to additional comments to be made by the S151 Officer, Preston City Council, and that the Statement will be signed off after the changes have been made and circulated.

To be discussed. 

On a date in July 2023, to be confirmed later.

Resolved – That the public be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there is likely to be disclosure of exempt information which is described in Paragraph 3 of 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing it. 

Resolved– That the public be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there is likely to be disclosure of exempt information which is described in Paragraph 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.

Report enclosed. 

The Director of Resources (Preston City Council) submitted a report advising that the Host Authority’s Section 151 Officer was responsible for the preparation of the Revenues and Benefits Shared Services Statement of Accounts which provide a true and fair view of the financial position of the Shared Service at the accounting date, and its income and expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2022.

The host authority (Preston City Council) had prepared the Revenues and Benefits Shared Service Unaudited Statement of Accounts 2021/22 in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and in line with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom (the Code) 2021/22.

Resolved – That the Joint Committee approved the Revenues and Benefits Shared Service Unaudited Statement of Accounts for 2021/22, as set out in the Appendix A to the report.

Report enclosed. 

The Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Community and Wellbeing submitted a report confirming that Lancaster City Council and Preston City Council had entered into a formal shared service arrangement for a further 10 years, with effect from 1 July 2021, and would continue to provide a Revenues and Benefits service across both City Council areas.

In line with the agreement, the report introduced a refreshed Business Plan for 2021/23, incorporating the key performance indicators for the service, together with ongoing projects and future challenges.

The Business Plan also contained a financial appraisal of the 2021/22 outturn position, and the budget requirement for 2022/23, to be approved.

Resolved – That the Joint Committee considered and approved the Business Plan for 2022 – 2024, as set out in in Appendix 1 to the report.

Report enclosed. 

The Director of Resources (Preston City Council) submitted a report on the Shared Service Agreement between Lancaster City Council and Preston City Council, which required that the Joint Committee approve the annual revenue, capital and staff budgets in respect of the Revenues and Benefits functions.

The Joint Committee would then inform the two Councils of the amounts of their proposed contributions to the Joint Committee’s budget.

Resolved – That the Joint Committee:

  (i) Noted the latest budget monitoring for the Shared Service, as detailed in Appendix A to the report;

 (ii) approved the budget for 2023/24 for the Shared Service, as detailed in Appendix B to the report; and

(iii) delegated to the S151 Officers of each Council (by agreement), to determine the cost sharing ratio for contributions to and from the overall Shared Service budget.