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Agenda item

Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2021-22

Minutes:

The Cabinet received the draft Budget for 2021-22.

 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report and highlighted various aspects.  He explained that the Budget presented was an improvement from the revised 2020-21 Budget that had been presented to the Cabinet and Council in September 2020 but highlighted that £12.5 million was needed to deliver Council services annually.  He concluded by thanking the Audit and Overview and Scrutiny Committees for their consideration of the Budget at their recent meetings and then advised that he wished to propose the following amendment to the report recommendations:-

 

“The Cabinet notes the motion on fly-tipping proposed by Cllr Berry and seconded by Cllr Judd at Council on 20 January 2021.  It further notes the feedback from the Budget Consultation considered at its meeting on 4 January 2021 and the comments about the need for improvements in our public realm it contained.

It proposes the inclusion of one-off funding of £200,000 for investment in a Civic Pride Programme to improve the public realm across the District beginning with the five largest settlements and the Cotswold Water Park.  Subject to budgetary approval, the Programme will run for two years in the first instance starting in April 2021 with a report to come to Cabinet on 8 March outlining the proposals for the Programme .  £150,000 of this investment will be funded from the Business Rates Movement Reserve with the remainder from the Council Priorities Fund.

That documents in a (i) to a (vi) be updated to include funding for the Civic Pride Programme and recommended to Council for adoption.

The Leader seconded the Amendment and explained that district councils faced challenges to their finances going forward and that the Council’s Budget needed to ensure statutory services were provided to a good standard whilst also funding the ambitious ambitions of the administration.

 

The Cabinet expressed their support for the Budget and the Amendment and thanked both the Deputy Leader and Officers for their work on the Budget during challenging times.  The Cabinet also highlighted the large volume of business grants that had been awarded to local businesses facing challenging times during the Covid-19 pandemic and the help that would be offered to the District’s residents through the Council Tax Support Scheme.

 

The Chairs of the Audit and Overview and Scrutiny Committees were invited to make any comments.  The Chair of the Overview of Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Andrews, added his thanks on behalf of the Committee to the Chief Finance Officer and her team and highlighted that the Committee would be looking for ways in which to link the various strategies implemented by the Council against the overall costs of delivering them going forward.

 

RESOLVED: THAT COUNCIL BE RECOMMENDED to approve the following set of documents:

      1        the Budget proposals 2021/22,

      2        the Medium Term Financial Strategy,

      3        the Pay Policy Statement,

      4        the Capital Strategy

      5        the Investment Strategy

      6        the Treasury Management Strategy; and

 

a)        Approve the revised fees and charges as set out at 2.40 to 2.42 to apply from 1 April 2021;

b)       recommend the Local Council Tax Support Scheme as detailed at 2.49 to 2.51 for 2021/22 to Council;

c)        subject to the Council approval of recommendation (b), Council delegate authority to the Chief Finance Officer to approve the Local Council Tax Support Scheme annual uprating of allowances and non-dependant deductions in line with national regulations;

d)       the Cabinet note the motion on fly-tipping proposed by Cllr Berry and seconded by Cllr Judd at Council on 20 January 2021.  It further notes the feedback from the Budget Consultation considered at its meeting on 4 January 2021 and the comments about the need for improvements in our public realm it contained;

 

e)        it proposes the inclusion of one-off funding of £200,000 for investment in a Civic Pride Programme to improve the public realm across the District beginning with the five largest settlements and the Cotswold Water Park.  Subject to budgetary approval, the Programme to run for two years in the first instance starting in April 2021 with a report to come to Cabinet on 8 March outlining the proposals for the Programme. £150,000 of this investment to be funded from the Business Rates Movement Reserve with the remainder from the Council Priorities Fund;

 

f)         that documents in a (i) to a (vi) be updated to include funding for the Civic Pride Programme and recommended to Council for adoption.

 

Record of Voting - for 8, against 0, abstentions 0, absent 0.

Supporting documents:

 

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