Issue - meetings

Following a report of the Director of Finance, Assets & Resources and the Director of Operations, the Homes Policy Development Group when considering the options available for the Council to set a balanced budget for 2018/19 made the following recommendation: that Garage Rents and Community Alarm Charges for 2018/19 be frozen at the current levels for 2017/18.

Arising from a *report of the Director of Finance, Assets and Resources, the Homes Policy Development Group when considering the options available for the Council to set a balanced budget for 2018/19 made the following recommendation: that garage rents and community alarm charges for 2018/19 be frozen at the current levels for 2017/18.

The Cabinet Member for Housing outlined the contents of the report highlighting the thoughts of the Policy Development Group with regard to the need for improvements to be made to garages across the district and therefore the wish that both the garage rents and the community alarm remain at their current levels.

RESOLVED that the recommendation of the Policy Development Group be approved and considered as part of the budget setting.

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

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

To receive a report from the Director of Finance, Assets & Resources considering the options available in order for the Council to set a balanced budget for 2018/19 and agree a future strategy for further budget reductions for 2019/20 onwards.

The Group had before it, and NOTED, a report * from the Director of Finance, Assets & Resources considering the options available in order for the Council to set a balanced budget for 2018/19 and agree a future strategy for further budget reductions for 20109/20 onwards.

Consideration was given to the following:

·         Overall there was currently a budget gap on the General Fund of £617k. Of this, approximately £500k was outside of the Council’s control as a result of central Government cuts.

·         Service managers had identified significant savings over the course of the summer. Without this the budget gap would have been significantly greater.

·         There were still a few key issues that had not yet been resolved or were still to be fully evaluated.

·         Members were invited to attend one of the budget briefings to be given by the Director of Finance, Assets & Resources in the early part of December.

Note: * Report previously circulated; copy attached to the signed minutes.