Minutes:
The Committee chose to
scrutinise the following Cabinet items:
Cabinet Proposals
5.1 Treasury Management
Monitoring 2018-2019
Committee
noted that going forward the above report would be presented to Committee at the
same time as both the Revenue and Capital Monitoring reports.
Members
noted that the Authority had taken advantage of a dip in interest rates on long
term borrowing and had borrowed £10m.
Following
scrutiny the report was noted.
5.2 Capital Budget Monitoring 2018-2019
Committee received the above
report and noted that the figures within the report fluctuated throughout the
year due to grants received etc.
It
was noted that the report was also monitored by the Capital Programme Steering
Group.
Following
scrutiny, the Committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by
Cabinet.
5.3 Revenue Budget Monitoring Report 2018-2019
Members
expressed concern at the current projected overspend of £1.658m and were
advised that work would continue throughout the remainder of the financial year
to reduce the projected overspend.
Directorate budgets were monitored closely on a monthly basis by
management teams, which looked particularly at any projected overspends. Virements or
reserve movements may be needed in some cases to off-set any projected
overspends.
Members
then raised the following:-
Children
Residential Care – The average cost of a residential package was £190k. Members asked whether these packages could be
provided in house and were advised that due to the complexity of the child’s
needs in these cases it would not be possible, although some Local Authorities
were exploring the possibility.
The
projected overspends in Social Services would be discussed by the relevant
Scrutiny Committee on 2 August, however the impact of the decision
by ABMu to cut the number of hospital beds would have
a detrimental effect on the service provided as service users were sometimes already
waiting for packages of care before hospital discharge. While the demand for care packages was
increasing, Officers would be reviewing each care package to ensure that the
correct level of support was being provided, this may increase or decrease,
depending on each service user’s needs.
Members asked that this be further discussed at the relevant Scrutiny
Committee.
Concern
was expressed at the £2.5m projected savings in relation to Domiciliary Care,
which was at present showing £1.267m overspend.
How would this impact on next year’s budget?
It
was noted that the Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee had
responded to the ABMu’s consultation on cutting the
number of beds and that ABMu would be invited to a
meeting of Council to further discuss its proposals.
Members
asked why virements were being considered so early in
the financial year and were advised that it was Officers’ recommendation to
deal with over/under spends at an early stage.
In
relation to the projected overspends on recycling, Members were reminded that
decisions had recently been taken on changes to the Waste Strategy to mitigate
some of the costs. As part of these
changes out of county waste would be looked at and operatives given the
authority to check the contents of black bags etc. to ascertain whether these were
from the County Borough.
Members
asked if the £10m Pupil Development Grant was contained in the delegated budget
and were advised that it was administered by Pembrokshire
County Council and was based on the previous year’s class numbers. The grant was then passed to the Authority
and passported directly to schools. It was agreed that a Strategy would be
developed and that a report would be submitted to the relevant Scrutiny
Committee. Challenge Advisors would also
be involved in the process.
Following
scrutiny the Committee were supportive of the proposals contained in the
circulated report subject to:-
The
review of Care Packages being discussed in relevant Scrutiny Committee;
A
Strategy being developed on the Pupil Development Grant;
AMBu being invited to attend Council to discuss its
proposed bed closures.