Issue - meetings

Budget

Meeting: 02/02/2017 - Cabinet (Item 140)

To receive a report of the Director of Finance, Assets and Resources providing the proposals for the General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account for the year 2017/18.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet had before it a * report of the Director of Finance, Assets and Resources outlining options available in order for the Council to move towards a balanced budget for 2017/18.

The Cabinet Member for Finance outlined the contents of the report highlighting the work of officers and the Policy Development Groups to secure significant savings without reducing service delivery and maintaining the commitment to four key aims within the Corporate Plan, this had resulted in the Council only requiring £89k to set a balanced budget which was proposed to be taken from the New Homes Bonus. He outlined the Government changes that had been made to the New Homes Bonus and that that funding stream could not be relied on in the future.

Consideration was given to:

· The need for the authority to be more commercially minded in order to raise money

· An additional recommendation to include the provision of a litter picking service

· The need for a good joined up approach with regard to the litter picking service with the Parish Councils

· The need for education with regard to the disposal of waste

The Cabinet recorded its thanks to the Finance Department for their hard work with regard to the budget process.

RECOMMENDED to Council that:

a) Council Tax be increased by £5 to £192.15.

b) General Fund budget for 2017/18 be approved.

c). The 2017/18 budget required no transfer from the General Fund Balance.

d). The General Fund Budget required a one off transfer of £89k from New Homes Bonus.

e). HRA budget for 2017/18 be approved as outlined in Appendix 5 of the report.

f). HRA fees/charges be approved based on the attached schedule shown as Appendix 5a of the report.

g). That work on strategic planning for delivering balanced budgets in the future be commenced in the Spring based on the funding levels contained in the fixed 4 year Government grant settlement.

h) To seek the provision of two operatives and a van dedicated to litter picking throughout the district, initially for a one year period commencing April 2017. The financing of this service to be considered within the street cleaning review of Spring 2017, with any surplus funding requirement provided from the New Homes bonus.

(Proposed by Cllr R L Stanley and seconded by Cllr P H D Hare-Scott)

Note: *Report previously circulated, copy attached to minutes.