Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Thomas)

 

Joint report of the Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) and the Head of Financial Services

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Thomas)

 

The Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) and Head of Financial Services submitted a joint report asking Members to note progress so far on the current year’s budget position and in identifying options for savings and efficiencies for inclusion in the 2010/11 draft budget proposals. The report also asked Cabinet to note the latest position on the Council’s 5 year capital programme.

 

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

 

Revenue Budget Update

 

(1)               Consider the savings and efficiency options (included at Appendix A of the report) for inclusion in the Cabinet’s draft list of recommendations, highlighting those that can be supported and those that may need further work.

 

(2)               Consider the savings and efficiency options (included at Appendix A of the report) but offer no view at this stage on those for inclusion in the Cabinet’s draft list of recommendations.

 

Preferred Option

 

The preferred option is option 1. This will ensure that officers are clear which options are to be considered further and those that require further work, including any impact and risk assessments. This will also provide an on-going position summary of the savings and efficiencies position.

 

No other options are presented for the other matters covered in this report as they are for information only.

 

It was moved by Councillor Langhorn and seconded by Councillor Thomas:-

 

“(1)      That Cabinet notes the revenue budget position to date regarding the current year and its potential implications.

 

(2)               Cabinet Members will report to the next Cabinet progress on achieving savings identified for 2009/10 within their portfolios.”

 

It was moved by Councillor Langhorn and seconded by Councillor Mace:-

 

“(3)      Cabinet notes the savings identified in Appendix A of the report and agrees to include them in the further discussions of the draft budget (subject to Cabinet agreeing items elsewhere in the agenda).”

 

It was moved by Councillor Langhorn and seconded by Councillor Thomas:-

 

“(4)     Cabinet notes the latest position of the Capital Programme and agrees to hold an informal meeting to look at the programme in further detail.”

 

It was moved by Councillor Langhorn and seconded by Councillor Kerr:-

 

“(5)     Cabinet resolves to hold an informal meeting to look at recommendations for the Housing Revenue Account and capital programme.”

 

It was moved by Councillor Langhorn and seconded by Councillor Ashworth:-

 

“(6)     Cabinet agrees to the following four priorities to form the basis of its budget and revised corporate strategy for 2010-13

 

(a)               Economic Regeneration supporting our local economy

 

·         Energy Coast and environmental technology (advance manufacturing).

·         Heritage and cultural tourism for the District (City, Coast and Countryside) – to include creative industries and ‘high end’ employment too.

 

(b)               Climate Change – implementing the City Council’s Climate Change Strategy. A focus on energy savings – so that we are not hit by rising fuel prices, improve our environment and create cashable savings.

 

(c)               Statutory services – clean and green – achieving minimum statutory standards, for example, housing, environmental health, street cleaning, refuse collection.

 

(d)               Partnership working and Community Leadership – shaping the district and working with others to provide services that the public want and which are not the District Council’s priority.”

 

By way of amendment to (6)(a), Councillor Mace proposed, and Councillor Thomas seconded, omitting the two bullet points so that (6)(a) read as follows:-

 

“(a)       Economic Regeneration supporting our local economy.”

 

2 Members voted in favour of the amendment (Councillors Mace and Thomas), 5 voted against (Councillors Ashworth, Barry, Fletcher, Kerr and Langhorn) and 3 abstained from voting (Councillors Archer, Blamire and Bryning) whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment lost.

 

By way of amendment to (6)(d), Councillor Mace proposed and Councillor Thomas seconded:-

 

“(d)      Partnership working and Community Leadership – shaping the district and working with others to deliver the Sustainable Community Strategy and provide services currently contributing to the quality of life in the district that are not the District Council’s main function or priority.”

 

By way of amendment to (6)(a) and (b), Councillor Barry proposed, and Councillor Fletcher seconded:-

 

“(a)      Economic Regeneration supporting our local economy with initiatives such as

 

·         Energy Coast and environmental technology (advance manufacturing).

·         Heritage and cultural tourism for the District (City, Coast and Countryside) – to include creative industries and ‘high end’ employment too.

 

(b)               Climate Change – implementing the City Council’s Climate Change Strategy. A focus on energy savings in the Council and with our partners in the district, so that we are not hit by rising fuel prices, improve our environment and create cashable savings.”

 

3 Councillors voted for the amendments to (6)(a) and (b), (Councillors Barry, Fletcher and Mace), five voted against (Councillors Ashworth, Blamire, Bryning, Kerr and Langhorn) and 2 abstained from voting (Councillors Archer and Thomas) whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment lost.

 

By way of amendment to (6)(c), which was accepted as a friendly amendment by the proposer and seconder of the original motion, Councillor Barry proposed and Councillor Fletcher seconded:-

 

“(c)      Statutory services – clean and green – achieving at least minimum statutory standards in, for example, housing, environmental health, street cleaning and refuse collection.”

 

By way of amendment to (6)(c), Councillor Mace proposed and Councillor Thomas seconded that the words “at least” proposed by Councillor Barry be removed. Two Members voted for the amendment to remove the words “at least” (Councillors Mace and Thomas) and eight voted against (Councillors Archer, Ashworth, Barry, Blamire, Bryning, Fletcher, Kerr and Langhorn), whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment lost.

 

Members voted as follows:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

(1)        That Cabinet notes the revenue budget position to date regarding the current year and its potential implications

 

(2)               Cabinet Members will report to the next Cabinet progress on achieving savings identified for 2009/10 within their portfolios

 

(3)        Cabinet notes the savings identified in Appendix A of the report and agrees to include them in the further discussions of the draft budget (subject to Cabinet agreeing items elsewhere in the agenda)

 

(4)        Cabinet notes the latest position of the Capital Programme and agrees to hold an informal meeting to look at the programme in further detail

 

(5)               Cabinet resolves to hold an informal meeting to look at recommendations for the Housing Revenue Account and capital programme

 

Resolved:

 

(8 Members (Councillors Archer, Ashworth, Barry, Blamire, Bryning, Fletcher, Kerr and Langhorn) voted in favour and 2 Members (Councillors Mace and Thomas) abstained)

 

(6)        Cabinet agrees to the following four priorities to form the basis of its budget and revised corporate strategy for 2010-13

 

(a)               Economic Regeneration supporting our local economy

 

·                     Energy Coast and environmental technology (advance manufacturing)

·                     Heritage and cultural tourism for the District (City, Coast and Countryside) – to include creative industries and ‘high end’ employment too

 

(b)               Climate Change – implementing the City Council’s Climate Change Strategy. A focus on energy savings – so that we are not hit by rising fuel prices, improve our environment and create cashable savings

 

(c)               Statutory services – clean and green – achieving at least minimum statutory standards in, for example, housing, environmental health, street cleaning and refuse collection

 

Resolved:

 

(5 Members (Councillors Blamire, Bryning, Fletcher, Mace and Thomas) voted in favour, 3 Members (Councillors Ashworth, Kerr and Langhorn) voted against and 2 Members (Councillors Archer and Barry) abstained)

 

(d)        Partnership working and Community Leadership – shaping the district and working with others to deliver the Sustainable Community Strategy and provide services currently contributing to the quality of life in the district that are not the District Council’s main function or priority.

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Corporate Director (Finance and Performance)

Head of Financial Services

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The decision ensures that officers are clear on the framework which Cabinet are using to form the basis of its proposals for the budget and corporate strategy for 2010-13 on which options are to be considered further and those that require further work, including any impact and risk assessments. This will also provide an on-going position summary of the savings and efficiencies position.