Issue - meetings

Financial Monitoring 2017/18 (Quarter 2)

Meeting: 11/12/2017 - Council (Item 92)

92 MATTERS REQUIRING APPROVAL OR CONSIDERATION BY THE COUNCIL pdf icon PDF 94 KB

APPROVAL: To consider any recommendations of the Executive or Council Committees which require the approval or consideration of the Council.

 

CABINET – 6 NOVEMBER, 2017

 

A.  Revenue Monitoring 2017/18 - Quarter 2

(Minute 52 and Cabinet report attached). The Council is requested to approve funding of £350,000 from General Fund Balances in respect of the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018.

 

B.  Capital Monitoring 2017/18 - Quarter 2

(Minute 53 and Cabinet report attached). The Council is requested to approve the inclusion in the programme of 5 new bids, at an additional capital cost of £2.6 million, and approve the revised Capital Programme of £67.5 million.

 

C.  Treasury Management Mid-Year Report 2017/18

(Minute 54 and Cabinet report attached). The Council is requested to approve the revision to the Council’s Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy in selecting the annuity method within ‘Option 3 Asset Life’ for calculating the MRP.

 

DELEGATED DECISIONS

 

D.  Statutory Register of Brownfield Land

 

(Executive Member Decision form and report attached, the appendices can be viewed on the website here. (Copies can be provided on request)).

 

The Council is recommended to make the necessary amendments to the delegated powers for Planning Committee and the Assistant Director of Environmental Services in the Council’s Constitution to reflect the new requirements set out in recommendations 1, 3 and 4 of the decision.

 

E.  Playing Pitch Strategy

 

(Executive Member Decision form and report attached, the appendices can be viewed on the website here. (Copies can be provided on request)).

 

The Council is recommended to adopt the Assessment Report and Strategy and Action Plan as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications and in other decisions under the Town and Country Planning Acts.

 

OTHER ITEMS REQUIRING APPROVAL OF THE COUNCIL

 

F.  Council is requested to appoint Shaer Halewood, Director of Finance and Investment, as the Council’s Statutory Section 151 Officer.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In accordance with Standing Order 5(2) six matters had been submitted for approval or consideration by the Council (see minutes 93 to 98 post).


Meeting: 06/11/2017 - Cabinet (Item 52)

52 Revenue Monitoring 2017/18 Quarter 2 pdf icon PDF 357 KB

Minutes:

JanetteWilliamson UPDATED - To be used in minutes

Councillor Janette Williamson (Cabinet Member for Finance and Income Generation) said:

 

“It has been reported for some time that the ongoing national austerity policies continue to place huge pressure on local government, particularly in relation to social care services.  Recent announcements regarding the demands for care for children highlight that this is both a national, and local, challenge which brings with it significant costs.

 

The Council continues to plan and manage its budget in a sustainable way. Mindful that there will always be changing requirements and the subsequent demands on the budget the Revenue Budget Contingency was made available. This helps mitigate the enormous demands on our services and why we are able to react to changing circumstances.

 

We continue to look for opportunities to make best value of the resources available, ensuring they are well managed, used to deliver best value for Wirral residents, and enable us to deliver our 20 Pledges.” 

 

Councillor Janette Williamson introduced a report which set out the projected revenue position for 2017/18 as at the end of Quarter 2 (30 September 2017).

 

The Quarter 2 forecast was an overspend of £1.2 million for 2017/18 (Quarter 1 reported a forecast overspend of £4.2 million). The improvement was essentially due to the inclusion of unused Revenue Budget Contingency to the forecast. Underlying there was additional investment into Children’s Services and associated legal costs regarding the placement of children which had resulted in budget pressure.

 

Councillor Williamson commented upon the effects of seven years of austerity on the Council’s finances and the increasing pressures on Children’s Services, which were at crisis point. The Council’s General Fund balances stood at £12m (the absolute minimum level for these, set out by the Council’s S151 Officer, being £10m) and she set out the facts with regard to Council reserves:

 

·  £27m Capital Grants, received in advance to fund specified projects and only to be used to fund these specified projects, otherwise funding had to be returned.

·  £4m in Capital Receipts reserve – proceeds from the sale of buildings and land which could only be used to fund current or future capital investment.

·  £51m earmarked reserves – only to be used to fund something which would happen in the future and included:

o  £17m to cover potential claims relating to insurance, tax and benefit claims.

o  £16m for specific projects and initiatives including commitments regarding public health contracts, funding for on-going apprentice programmes and similar programmes.

o  £13m relating to Schools Budgets and activities that could only be spent by schools.

o  £4m for the transformation programme to deliver services differently.

 

She hoped that these figures would set the record straight and put an end to the wilful misrepresentation of the facts.

 

Councillor Bernie Mooney informed the Cabinet on the situation in Children’s Services and that as of last week there were 828 children in the Council’s care. The pressures on Children’s Services were increasing all around the country with three out of four Council’s suffering. So much money had been taken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52