The Corporate Management Team will submit a report outlining the finance monitoring position of the Council as at the end of June 2014 and including the July 2014 spend and profile information. 

Approval would be sought to revenue budget variations and officers were proposing to bring forward further savings from the Council’s transformation programme in the coming weeks, to address the in year estimated revenue overspend of £4.607m as at July 2014.

Cabinet will also be asked to note the revised capital programme for 2013/14 to 2016/17 of £216.398m, an increase of £8.728m, following the inclusion of new schemes, re-profiling and variations approved under delegated authority and the inclusion of future years’ government grants and other identified income streams.   

Approval would also be sought for delegated authority to approve any changes to existing schemes on the same terms as existing delegations for new capital schemes and capital programme transfers (virements). 

The Corporate Management Team submitted a report outlining the finance monitoring position of the Council as at the end of June 2014, including the July 2014 spend and profile information.

The report –

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) introduced the proposals and indicated that the forecast overspend was the reason why transformation was essential. He also advised that the budget would continue to be monitored on a monthly basis and that meetings had already been held between himself, Councillor Tuffin, Tracey Lee (Chief Executive) and Carole Burgoyne (Strategic Director for People) to ensure that everything possible was being done to ensure that the needs of the adult social care and children’s services were being met but that it was being undertaken in the most efficient way.

Councillor Peter Smith (Deputy Leader) referred to the 17 interim appointments that had been made to cover senior management vacancies, to provide capacity for the transformation programme and for other projects.  He reported that the Council’s ambitious change programme required expertise and extra capacity in addition to the staff needed to run the day to day services and that the majority of staff in transformation were now internal staff.

Councillor Tuffin (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care) reported that adult social care was a needs led service and that although the service had made extensive savings in the previous year, officers were reviewing the budget again.

Carole Burgoyne indicated that referrals in adults and children had both increased and that officers were continuing to reduce the costs of packages whilst ensuring a high level of quality of care.

Councillor Evans (Council Leader) referred to the comments made in the press on interim staff by Councillor Bowyer and indicated that Councillor Bowyer had been part of the decision making process in the Appointments Panel.   

David Northey (Head of Corporate Strategy) also attended the meeting for this item.    

Alternative options considered and the reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Agreed that -