Issue - meetings

To receive a verbal update on the draft budget position for 2024/2025 (based on the MTFP budget update report presented to the Cabinet on 12 December 2023 and 9 January 2024).

The Group received, and NOTED, a verbal update from the Corporate Manager for Finance, Property and Climate Change regarding the 2024/2025 budget position. This was based on the Medium Term Financial Plan report being presented to the Cabinet on 9th January 2024.

The following summary was provided:

·      Savings of circa £1.644m had been identified as part of the budget setting process during recent months. These had been listed under the RAG rating system so as to identify red, amber and green risks.

·      It was confirmed that staff savings would only be taken if a post became vacant, redundancies would not be a factor as part of this budget.

·      As a result of a great deal of hard work by both staff and Members there was now only a shortfall of £150k as compared to a shortfall in December 2023 of £418k.

·      Some of this was due to government announcements in December regarding the local government financial settlement and Council Tax and Business Rate changes.

·      It was confirmed that it was not necessary to look to this Group for further savings in order to balance the budget unless they became relevant prior to the final draft budget being approved by Council next month.

A brief discussion took place with regard to some concerns about the amount of pressure put on staff when colleagues left in terms of workload. It was confirmed that the majority of vacancies were planned for and were not ‘reactive’, therefore allowing time to address workload issues and relieve the pressure on the staff that remained. This issue was also being closely monitored by a number of staff working groups and the union.