The Director of Regeneration and Place introduced a report on the budget setting process in this transition year to a committee system of governance for 2021/22 and described the financial position for 2021/22 which, as at Quarter 1, showed a deficit of £45m, and the actions being put in place to mitigate the gap.

These actions included a phased approach of five stages and also the timeline for the 2021/22 budget setting process of when budget proposals were presented to the Policy and Services Committees for recommendation to Full Council to set the 2021/22 budget.

As this was a transition year, proposals had been identified and would be presented to the Committee by officers due to the tight timescale to approve the budget in a series of budget workshops. However, the Committee was encouraged to identify their own proposals for officers to work up, if within the timescale, to be included for the 2021/22 Budget. For future years this would become the usual process and throughout the year the Committee would be identifying proposals for officers to work up for the following year’s budget.

Resolved – That the Council’s current financial position and process for the 2021/22 budget in this transition year, be noted.