53 Budget Update (0.24.57) PDF 317 KB
The Local Government Finance Act 1992 places a legal requirement on the Council to approve a balanced budget. The first draft of the General Fund budget for 2023/24 indicated a deficit of £960k. This report updates that deficit to the current position of £905k and proposes options to consider to achieve the statutorily required neutrality.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Group had before it a *report from the Deputy Chief Executive providing the Medium Term Financial Plan.
The Corporate Manager for Finance explained the current position by way of a presentation and advised Members that he was looking for a steer on higher and lower priorities.
Consideration was given to:
· Members were asked to consider any savings were district wide and not confined to individual parishes
· The figures for fuel costs were based on real time values
· Some savings would be found in Vacancy Management but that the Council were not expecting to make any redundancies
· Some Members found it difficult to make decisions on priorities when they were unsure of what each cost centre covered
· The suggestions put forward by officers on where and how savings could be achieved
· Members felt the letter sent to the Parishes asking for funding for some services was not clear on what was being requested
· The residents survey results
· Some Members would support a review into the number of grass cuts a year
It was therefore RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet that:
1. The Weed Team should not be reinstated
(Proposed by Cllr B G J Warren and seconded by Cllr R F Radford)
2. Waste Collection/Recycling/Open Spaces should be protected from budget and service provision reductions
(Proposed by Cllr R F Radford and seconded by Cllr W Burke)
3. Property Service Staff Unit and Administration Buildings could be considered for budget and service provision reductions
(Proposed by the Chairman)
Reason for the decisions: As per the report
Note: *report previously circulated and attached to the minutes