Minutes:
Members
received an overview of the Report of the Corporate Director’s Group on the
proposed Budget for 2017/18.
Following the
presentation Members raised the following:-
·
At
the meeting of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee on 31 March, 2017 the possibility
of using some of the General Reserves (which had increased by over £2m more
than predicted and was predicted to increase to £20m by the end of 2021) to
underpin the proposed cuts to the Schools base budget and also to be used at
the Pontardawe Arts Centre and Cefn
Coed Museum.
In addition concern was expressed that should the cut in the schools
base budget result in cuts in the number of teachers this would mitigate the
improvements being realised as part of the 21st Century
Schools. The Director of Finance and
Corporate Services advised that there would need to be a further £24m cut up to
2019/20 and that in order to minimise the impact and to promote
sustainability/wellbeing it would be prudent to maintain reserves. A reasonable amount of reserves when not in
austerity would be in the region of 5%, whilst in times of austerity it would
be prudent to be at a higher level.
Members were reminded that General Reserves were needed for emergencies
such as flooding, etc and could only be spent once.
The Director of Education, Leisure and Lifelong Learning
advised that around £100m had been invested in upgrading existing premises and
building new schools. There was an
expectation that schools managed their reserves responsibly and that staff
absences were closely managed.
·
Members
asked that, in order to address the increase in the number of elderly service
users and the resultant increase in demands, whether a further £1m could be
diverted into the budget for adult services.
Members were also concerned at the possibility of outsourcing services
within Social Services. The Chief Executive advised that whilst he could
appreciate the concerns of Members, the proposals represented a prudent
approach to 2017/18 and beyond. Seventy-five percent of the budget allocation
was to Social Services and Education and the proposals attempted to strike a
balance against the disproportionate cuts made to Environment over recent
years. The Director of Social Services,
Health and Housing advised Council that the Authority delivered some of its
services through 3rd parties.
He also confirmed that there were no ER/VR applications currently being
considered.
·
Members
expressed concern at the £10k cut to the Cefn Coed Museum, and asked that investment be made into tourism
within the County Borough. The Director
of Education, Leisure and Lifelong Learning advised that the Cefn Coed Museum had been closed
for urgent remedial works, in liaision with CADW, and
would reopen again over the Easter period.
He also advised that £10k would be carried forward from the underspend in the current year’s budget to provide
funding for the re opening.
The Leader of
Council then summed up and commended to the proposals to Council for approval.
RESOLVED: 1. That, having due regard to the Equality Impact Assessment
information set out in the circulated report and its Appendix 7, the following
be approved:-
a. The latest
budget position 2016/17, the revised budget position and arrangements for
2016/17;
b. The Council’s Revenue Budget 2017/18;
·
Taking into account the Equality Impact Assessment and Crime and
Disorder impacts in setting the budget for 2017/18;
·
The Net Revenue Budget requirement for 2017/18, and the service plans
for the delivery of the budgets;
·
The budget/forward financial plan savings (outlined in Appendix 4 to the
circulated report);
·
Corporate Directors be instructed to progress the savings and
improvement programme for the Authority.
c. Fees and charges for
non-executive functions – that the
determination of the following matters be delegated to the appropriate
Corporate Director following consultation with the Council Leader, Deputy Leader
and Chair of the relevant Non Executive Committee
·
Fees and charges applicable in
2017/18
·
Fees and charges applicable in any subsequent financial year and which,
in the opinion of the Corporate Director, need to be set in advance of that
financial year for operational reasons;
d. Council Tax 2017/18 – That the 2017/18 Band D
equivalent for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council be £1,443.30.