Issue - meetings
Session One - Welcome and Overview
Meeting: 06/12/2023 - Select Committee Review (Item 4)
Session One - Welcome and Overview
Minutes:
Also in attendance: Councillor Evans OBE, Councillor Laing, David Draffan (Service Director for Economic Development), Ross Jago (Head of Governance, Performance and Risk), Tracey Lee (Chief Executive), David Northey (Interim Service Director for Finance) and Anthony Payne (Strategic Director for Place).
Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) provided an overview to the process and the conditions under which the budget was set:
a)
The national economy
was inflicted with elevated
levels of inflation and the associated uplift in the
minimum wage wasaffecting the levels of
spending on the council budget;
b)
Increases in costs to
Adult Social Care and Childrens Social Care, including SEND
costs and the
increase in cost of transport
for these individuals;
c)
As many as one in five
councils were on the
cusp of bankruptcy;
d)
As a top tier unitary
authority with more than 300 services to operate, certain choices would need to be
made to between the funding of certain services;
e) There were strategies and funding in place for various projects, such as the Freeport, Levelling up bid, National MarinePark and shore power.
In response to questions, the following was discussed:
f)
The aspirations and rationale of
the budget;
g)
The outlook and impact of increased
funding in Children’s Services;
h)
The
impact of the minimum wage
increase, pensions and Revenue Support Grant
funding;
i)
Support for small schemes of money such as
community grants and living streets funds;
j)
The 2% precept uplift for council
tax;
k)
The potential savings from the
instigation of annual elections;
l)
Workforce Productivity, flexible
working and building occupancy;
m)
Risk Management and review of risk
management processes;
n)
The Council Tax collection
rate;
o)
Accessibility to
services, equality and
stakeholder engagement and consultation;
p)
Economic development,
growth,investments and the quality of, social
values of and return on
said investments;
q)
The capital programme
and the needs and allocated budget and the moving of revenue
to capital;
r)
The localness and social values of
spending, investment and procurement;
s) Staff sickness absence, well-being and the use of contractors/temps.