Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Newman-Thompson)

Report of Chief Officer (Resources)

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Blamire and Newman-Thompson)

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Resources) in order for Cabinet to agree a process for reviewing the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework for 2016/19 onwards and to update Cabinet on various policy and planning matters.

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

Thefollowingoptionsareavailable to Cabinet.

(1)          Approvetheproposalsandtimetablesetoutinthereportforreviewingand revisingthe Council’sBudgetandPolicyFramework.

(2)          Approve an amended version of theproposals, drawingonanyspecific issues thatCabinet have.

AssumingthatCabinethasnootherspecificissuestoaddressOption1 isthe Officerpreferred option, as it setsouta structured but very challenging approach forCabinettoreview the existingBudgetandPolicyFramework and tobring forwardits budgetand corporate planning proposals for2016/17 up to 2019/20, within statutory timescales.  The time and effort involved will mean that less is spent on other tasks.

Councillor Hanson proposed, seconded by Councillor Clifford:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved with ‘Cabinet budget briefings’ being revised to ‘Leader’s budget briefings and that the priorities already developed by Cabinet members be included in the review.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)          Thatthereportbenotedandtheoutlinebudgetandplanningtimetableset out atAppendixA be approved with Cabinet budget briefings being revised to ‘Leader’s budget briefings’, and that the work involved and its impact be recognised and that the priorities already developed by Cabinet members be included in the review.

(2)          That Cabinet notes that the City Council will not be taking part in any Lancashire business rate pooling arrangement for 2016/17, subject to confirmation of the scheme prospectus and associated arrangements.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Executive

Chief Officer (Resources)

Reasons for making the decision:

To put in place robust and structured arrangements for establishing budget and corporate planning proposals for 2016/17 up to 2019/20, in context of the financial outlook.