Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider recommendations in respect of:

·       Capital Programme 2025/26 - 2027/28

·       Revenue Budget 2025/26

·       Council Tax 2025/26

Councillor Neil, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Improvement, gave a presentation on the financial plans and revenue budgets for the financial year 2025/26.  Councillor Neil thanked the 135 respondents who participated in the budget consultation from December 11 to January 22 emphasising the importance of public engagement and how the feedback received had helped shape a budget that aligned with the community's priorities.

The following points were raised from her presentation:

·   The council had faced several financial challenges, including inflationary pressures, increased demands for services, and uncertainty in funding for the next year.

·   The base budget, excluding schools, was set to decrease slightly to £97.3 million before accounting for inflation.

·   Total budget pressures amounted to £8.4 million, driven by the demand for social care and new legal requirements.

·   The council had identified £5.3 million in savings through efficiency measures, income generation, and reductions in support services, resulting in a budget gap of £4.1 million before considering a council tax increase.

·   The council's general reserves were estimated to be £9.85 million by March 2025. This healthy reserve level had been achieved through diligent management of spending within the approved budget.

·   The council's funding position had improved due to announcements in the local government finance settlement. Additional funding for social care and the extended producer requirement waste scheme had been particularly beneficial.

·   There were uncertainties in planning budgets for 2026-2027 and beyond. The previous government's funding reductions were particularly severe in areas with higher deprivation and lower council tax bases. The current government had signalled its intent to reverse these reductions.

·   The capital programme for 2025/26 to 2027/28 and for the next year equated to £14.386 million, with £8.388 million funded by the council and £5.998 million from external sources such as government grants, Section 106 contributions, capital receipts, and borrowing.

·   Arising from the consultation it showed that here was strong public support for various proposals, including spending on roads, property maintenance, new school places, and homelessness support. environmental work, temporary accommodation, and energy efficiency in council buildings also received significant support.

·   The council had an increased reliance on borrowing for the capital programme and tt was important to balance this borrowing with the need to maintain assets without putting additional pressure on the revenue budget.

·   The flexible use of capital receipts would support the council's business change programme and medium-term financial strategy, helping to deliver important efficiencies and savings.

·   The council needed to balance providing high standards of services with making decisions that aligned with its spending power. Anticipated changes in local government funding allocation would reduce future income, making it crucial to set a sustainable budget now.

·   The consultation showed that the public generally agreed with the proposed revenue budget savings and increased spending in specific areas.

·   There was support for making the garden waste service self-funding, focusing on essential maintenance work, and reducing the number of parking machines.

·   The council was committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030 and a new climate change strategy outlined the approach to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.