Issue - meetings

INVEST TO SAVE PROJECTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL ISSUES

 

 

Meeting: 11/04/2011 - City Council (Item 121)

121 Invest to Save Initiatives and Financial Update pdf icon PDF 66 KB

To consider the recommendations in Cabinet minute 134 relating to four ‘invest to save’ projects, the continuation of the CareFirst project, and an increase in capital and revenue resources for highway maintenance and coastal management / flood defence projects. 

 

To consider any recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board to be held on 6 April 2011 on the Cabinet recommendations (to follow).

 

Cabinet Member : Councillor Bowyer

Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board: Councillor James

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Corporate Resources

Additional documents:

Minutes:

At the commencement of the item, the Head of Legal Services outlined the proposed process for consideration of the proposals on ‘invest to save’ initiatives and financial update.

 

The City Council considered -

 

(a)

the recommendations of Cabinet, contained in Cabinet minute 134 of 29 March 2011, on the proposals;

 

(b)

the written report of the Corporate Management Team submitted to Cabinet;

 

(c)

 

the recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board,  contained in minute 126 of 6 April 2011, on the proposals;

 

(d) 

an amended report of the Corporate Management Team (in accordance with minute 126 of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board). 

 

Councillor Bowyer (Cabinet Member for Finance, Property, People and Governance) presented the recommendations in Cabinet minute 134 on ‘invest to save’ initiatives and financial update, and indicated that –

 

(e)

the proposals would address, in part, the pressure on the revenue budget;

 

(f)

‘invest to save’ would be a core business tool of the City Council going forward;   

 

(g)

 

the proposals would be funded subject to a robust business case;  

 

(h)

 

he was happy to accept the recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and thanked the Board for their work;

  

(i)

he would provide quarterly monitoring information on the ‘invest to save’ schemes.

 

The motion was seconded by Councillor Ball.

 

Councillor James (Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board) submitted the recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board on the proposals (minute 126 of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board referred).

 

The recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board was seconded by Councillor Thompson.

 

Following a debate, the vote was taken and it was Agreed to include the following information in all future ‘invest to save’ schemes –

 

?

the established criteria for ‘invest to save’ schemes; 

?

how the projects are scored;

?

details of the running balance and how it was to be funded;

?

the benefit/outcome to be achieved.

 

An amendment was moved by Councillor McDonald to amend the Cabinet recommendations as follows –

 

‘Add the following (before recommendation (1)) –

 

Council asks officers to provide information on –

 

?

the established criteria for invest to save schemes;

?

how the projects are scored;

?

details of the running balance and how it was to be funded;

?

the benefit/outcome to be achieved;

 

and refers this information for the decisions listed below back to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board for further scrutiny prior to decisions being made.

 

Delete (10)

 

Delete (11)’

 

Following an adjournment, Councillor McDonald presented the amendment which was seconded by Councillor Wildy, and they referred to -

 

(j)

the need for criteria for the ‘invest to save’ schemes submitted today;

 

(k)

the need for accountability on the money from the sale of CityBus; 

 

(l)

the lack of information presented on schemes which had been rejected;

 

(m)

the need to measure benefits and outcomes;

 

(n)

the inability of the Management Board to form an opinion on the information presented; 

 

(o)

the proposals which could be reconsidered at the provisional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121

Meeting: 29/03/2011 - Cabinet (Item 134)

134 INVEST TO SAVE INITIATIVES AND FINANCIAL UPDATE pdf icon PDF 136 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Corporate Management Team submitted a written report seeking approval of four invest to save schemes, the continuation of the Carefirst project, and an increase in capital and revenue resources for highway maintenance and coastal management / flood defence projects. 

 

The report also proposed a change to the technical method for calculating the costs of supported borrowing within the statutory accounts and sought further changes to fees and charges.

 

Councillor Bowyer (Cabinet Member for Finance, Property, People and Governance) submitted the proposals and referred to supplementary reports that had been submitted on the procurement ‘invest to save’ proposal, including a confidential contract award report (referred to in minute 147 below).  

 

CouncillorWigens (Cabinet Member for Transport) reported on the highways proposals and referred to additional funding that had been received from the government which would be spent entirely on pot holes.

 

CouncillorMrs Watkins (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) reported on the proposals relating to children’s services.

 

The Chair referred to the proposal for free use of Tinside Pool and the Director for Corporate Support undertook to look at the possibility of providing refreshment facilities (and other franchises) at the pool. 

 

Chris Randall (Finance Client Manager (Capital and Major Projects)) reported that, arising from the recent notification of additional monies for highway maintenance, the following amendments were required –

 

(a)

paragraph 6.3 (page 77 of the agenda papers) - the estimated spend was reduced from £1.2m to £760k;

 

(b)

paragraph 6.4 (page 77 of the agenda papers) – the contract break point was likely to be significantly less than £100k;  

 

(c)

recommendation 5 would require amendment to reflect the increase in government funding.

 

Agreed that the City Council is Recommended to –

 

(1)

approve the commencement of the Parent and Child Assessment ‘invest to save’ project and that this be financed from the Council’s revenue ‘invest to save’ reserve £0.073m in 2011/12 and £0.010m in 2012/13; 

 

(2)

approve the inclusion of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder ‘invest to save’ project in the 2011/12 capital programme at an estimated cost of £0.657m to be financed from a mixture of general fund reserves and schools balances;

 

(3)

 

approve the continuation of the Carefirst project and to increase the capital programme for this project by £0.831m in 2010/11, £0.832m in 2011/12, £0.106m in 2012/13, £0.177m in 2013/14 and £0.377m in 2014/15. The revenue costs are estimated to be £1.006m in 2010/11, £0.425m in 2011/12, £0.399m in 2012/13, £0.400m in 2013/14 and £0.400m in 2014/15.Officers have now identified costs being incurred in 2010/11 (mentioned above) which could be treated as capital and would therefore allow the Council more flexibility in its financing options. Funding towards the project has been identified from existing revenue and capital budgets, however there will be temporary shortfalls totalling £0.600m which will need to be met from the revenue invest to save reserve;

 

(4)

 

approve the Accommodation Strategy Phase 2 ‘invest to save’ project and to increase the capital programme for this project by £2.106m in 2011/12,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134