The Director of Resources presented the financial monitoring report for Month 8 (November 2013) in respect of the budget performance for the Transformation and Resources Directorate.

The report gave details of performance against revenue and capital budgets and in year efficiency savings for 2013/14. The Strategic Director drew the Committee’s attention to the currently forecast underspend of £249,000 in respect of the revenue budget.

In response to comments from Members the Head of Business Processes stated that collection of Council Tax, with the introduction of the Council Tax Support Scheme and, the billing of people who had previously received benefit at 100 per cent; his expectation was that the Council would do well to stay on target.

He also explained the figures for housing benefit fraud referrals between 1 April and 30 November, 2013, not all of which would have been investigated. Figures were also given for cases which had been investigated and cases under investigation; there were 40 cases where some form of court action had been taken.

With regard to Discretionary Housing Payments, he stated that the Council was on course to spend all the Government grant. A bid for additional funding would be submitted in early February, although there was no guarantee that anymore grants would be given. There had not been any noticeable shift between the social and private rented sector but this was subject to ongoing monitoring.

In respect of the Council Tax Discretionary Relief policy, no awards had as at the end of December, 2013 been made from this £50,000 fund. There were currently just under 100 applications for funding, though grants were only made for exceptional reasons. It was feasible that not all of this money would be used, and then it would be for the Council to decide how it was used.

There was currently a significant underspend in the Local Welfare Assistance support scheme which was supported by a Government grant of £1,345,925. Total awards as at 30 November, 2013 were £292,434 to be used for the provision of pre-payment cards for food and fuel and direct provision of white goods. The scheme was being reviewed and a report would be going to Cabinet which would examine possible alternative options for the use of these discretionary awards. In relation to this scheme a Member suggested that some form of consortium of voluntary sector organisations might be better placed to spend this money being more aware of those vulnerable people in need of help. The Member raised concerns that the grant could remain unspent despite vulnerable Wirral residents requiring support.

The Chair concurred that the idea of a voluntary sector consortium should be investigated with regard to the Local Welfare Assistance support scheme and that there might be a more creative way of allocating these funds.

Resolved – That this Committee notes the report and that a Task and Finish group be established to consider the possibility of a more creative way of allocating funds from the Local Welfare Assistance support scheme, including the idea of some form of voluntary sector consortium.

This resolution was subsequently amended by the Committee on 14 April (minute 34 refers) to read:

Resolved - That this Committee notes the report and asks that a report to consider the possibility of a more creative way of allocating funds from the Local Welfare Assistance support scheme, including the idea of some form of voluntary sector consortium, be brought to a meeting of this Committee.