Councillor

Minute

Reason

Interest

Councillor Michael Leaves

Minute 120 - Adult Social Care Personal Budgets Policy    

Owner of a residential home

Personal and prejudicial

(a)

the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board had scrutinised the Council’s partners for the first time, in addition to the Cabinet Members;

(b)

the Management Board had been assisted by advisers this year;

(c)

the scrutiny exercise had been undertaken over three days, 11, 16 and 18 January 2012;

(d)

his thanks were extended to Cabinet Members, directors and assistant directors for their assistance;

(e)

his thanks were also were extended to Katey Johns and Ross Jago (Democratic Support Officers) and Giles Perritt (Head of Performance, Policy and Partnerships) for their immense contributions and support;

(f)

the recommendations of the Management Board were submitted for consideration.

(a)

how the Council was delivering against its key indicators in terms of performance, and its financial measures using its capital and revenue resources;

(b)

that with effect from 1 January 2012, the Council restructured its directorates to move from five to three, with a corresponding reduction in directors. However, for comparison purposes, the report continued to monitor against the “old” five directorate model.  Monitoring of the three new directorates would commence on 1 April 2012;

(c)

the Council’s newly designed scorecards;

(d)

that the overall performance position continued to have no highly critical issues, with 88 per cent of the performance indicators there or there about on target;

(e)

that areas requiring close scrutiny were –

?

domestic burglary;

?

processing of new housing and Council tax benefit claims;

?

those not in education, employment or training (NEETs);

?

self-directed support;

(f)

that the Council was forecasting a revenue over spend at year end of £0.454m against a net revenue budget of £208.237m, which was a variance of 0.2 per cent. The main adverse variations related to Community Services in relation to the adult social care service,  the learning disability service and environmental services;

(g)

that good progress had again been made against the £15.197m revenue delivery plans set for 2011/12, with just under 95 per cent  rated either green or amber. RAG (red, amber, green) rated delivery plans were detailed in the report;

(h)

that following approval of new schemes, re-profiling and variations at the City Council on 5 December 2011, the capital programme for 2011/12 was £87.005m however the latest forecast at 20 January 2012, was now £78.661m.

(1)

the variations to capital spend and re-profiling as follows - 

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

Re-Profiling / Other Variations

£000

£000

£000

£000

(2,041)

2,041

-

-

Corporate Accommodation Strategy - Re-profiling to take into account changes to work plans

(535)

535

-

-

Autistic Spectrum Disorder – Re-profiling of expenditure on project following delays in planning and feasibility.

(1,093)

1,093

-

-

Mercury Abatement – Reprofiling to reflect more realistic delivery dates.

(1,087)

1,087

-

-

SAP Replacement – Updated cashflow information from project officer.

-

(3,800)

3,800

-

Materials Recycling Facility – Re-profiling with updated information from project officer.

662

(657)

(5)

-

Plymouth Life Centre - Re-profiling of budget from 12/13 to 11/12 for risk items that will be expended in this financial year.

(4,350)

4,176

327

191

Other Re-profiling – Details in Appendix B of the report.

44

1,097

3,928

4,853

Variations and virements – Details in Appendix B of the report.

(8,400)

5,572

8,050

5,044

Total Re-Profiling / Other Variations

(2) 

the budget virements as follows - 

Virements over £100k

000’s

Directorate

Delivery Plan Management

Other

Total Virements

Chief Executive

(5)

0

(5)

Children and Young  ...  view the full minutes text for item 117.

£000

£000

£000

£000

Scheme to be approved at February Council

11/12

12/13

13/14

14/15

-

80

320

500

Plymouth Natural Networks –  Increased green space in the city to match the additional housing as per the Growth Agenda

-

790

-

Gypsy and Travellers Site – Site at Broadley Park

-

51

285

-

Southway Community Football Hub

56

-

-

-

MountEdgcumbe – Purchase of Marquee

56

921

605

500

Total of new Schemes for approval February 2012

(a)

that the borrowing and investment strategy sought to balance financial returns from the Council’s cash balances whilst at the same time minimising financial risk to the Council;

(b)

how the treasury management function contributed to the Council’s overall policy objectives;

(c)

the risks inherent within the treasury management function and how officers would seek to minimise those risks;

(d)

that any amendments to the Treasury Management Strategy would require the approval of Cabinet with the exception of changes to the prudential indicators which required approval by the City Council;

(e)

that the strategy over the medium term would be to align borrowing with the capital financing requirement and investments with available balances and reserves;

(f)

that the Council would continue to regard risk, security and liquidity as the key factors in all its investments with the interest rate only considered after these prime objectives;

(g)

that following discussions with the Council’s treasury management advisers, Arlingclose, it is proposed that investments were limited to a maximum of one year with organisations meeting the appropriate credit quality, with consideration to longer-term investments in pooled funds and government/corporate bonds;

(h)

the Council’s prudential indicators for the next three years together with the minimum revenue provision for debt redemption policy for 2012/13;

(i)

that the CIPFA code of practice on treasury management required a formal mid year report and an end of year report to be presented to the City Council.

(1)

the Treasury Management Policy Statement as submitted in Appendix A to the written report;

(2)

the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2012/13;

(3)

the Investment Strategy for 2012/13 as set out in Sections 8 and 9 of the written report including the use of specified and non-specified investments;

(4)

the lending organisations and counterparty limits as set out in Appendix D to the written report;

(5)

the prudential indicators as set out in the written report covering the revised indicators/limits for 2011/12 and the forecasts/limits for 2012/13 to 2014/15;

(6)

the authorised borrowing limits of £309m, £284m and £274m for the period 2012/13 to 2014/15;

(7)

the operational boundary of £279m, £268m and £259m for 2012/13 to 2014/15;

(8)

the  minimum revenue provision for debt redemption policy for 2012/13.

(1)

Cabinet notes -

(a)

the impact of the funding requirements as shown in the written  report of £203.7m available resources to meet an indicative spend of £204.5m and the progress to date to close the gap of £0.8m;

(b)

the proposed capital expenditure of £173.061m;

(c)

that the report had taken into account the recommendations from the consultation process, including budget scrutiny referred to in minute 115 above; 

(2)

officers identify further savings in advance of the City Council meeting on 27 February 2012 to arrive at the budget requirement;

(3)

the City Council is Recommended to consider a final version of the 2012/13 draft budget (revenue and capital) in order to achieve the proposed target budget requirement of £204.5m for 2012/13.

(a)

indicating that the Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel had established a Task and Finish Group to review the department’s charges and procedures for community events and road closures;

(b)

setting out the proposed responses to the five recommendations proposed by the scrutiny panel;

(c)

proposing a new draft Events on the Public Highway policy which related to all internally (council led) and externally organised events and provided –

?

the framework for new guidance on events giving officers and events organisers a clear understanding of their responsibilities and charges;

?

that events requiring temporary road closures were categorised as 1, 2 or 3 events, each category reflecting network importance and used to determine the charges levied for the production of Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTRO). The charges did not relate to other costs associated with organising an event on the highway, i.e. traffic management, insurance, permits etc. which would still be borne by the event organiser;

?

that Category 3 dealt generally with closures of quiet residential type roads for small events such as street parties and fetes and it was proposed that no charge would be levied in respect of such events. Categories 1 and 2 related to events on more important routes and a scale of charges were proposed for these;

?

that the cost to undertake a TTRO would be reduced from the current flat rate fee of £1000, to £500, £250 and £0 for Category 1, 2 and 3 events respectively;

?

that £5m public liability insurance would be mandatory for Category 1 and 2 events;

?

that £1m public liability would be advisable for organisers of Category 3 events;

?

that advertising of TTRO’s in the local press would be discontinued; however proposed road closures would still be advertised on the Council’s PlymGo website and through the placing of on-street notices to ensure local residents and businesses were aware of forthcoming road closures;

?

that all existing events currently supported by the City Council would continue to be supported in the current format, but a further review would take place during 2012/13.

(i)                  

(ii)                

(1)

to note the recommendations of the Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel and provide responses as follows -

(a)

making representations to central government in relation to the medium used to advertise TTRO’s are no longer necessary following changes to government guidance;

(b)

further work is needed to establish how best to manage an approved list of events once the new policy on reduced charging has been introduced and after the events and economic development teams have merged under the new Place Directorate;

(c)

further work is needed on budget decisions once the new policy has been introduced and after the events and economic development teams have merged under the new Place Directorate;

(d)

the advertising of TTRO’s for events will cease following the withdrawal of government guidance which effectively removes the need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121.