Decision details

Further to Minute No. 100 of the Cabinet Meeting held on 14 February 2019, the Council considered the joint report of the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Resources which provided:

 

·       An assessment of the Council’s current financial position and approach to the 2019/20 Budget Plan and preparation for the new three-year budget period 2020/21 to 2022/23;

·       Progress that had been made during the last year within the Council’s Framework for Change programme;

·       An update on the Government’s announcement of resources that are available to the Council for 2019/20;

·       The Council’s current financial position and the assumptions built into the Medium Term Financial Plan;

·       The proposed Budget for 2019/20; and,

·       The proposed Capital Programme for 2019/20.

 

The report set out the financial strategy of the Council and the national and local financial context within which it is operating and indicated that the Council had a statutory requirement to remain financially sustainable and to balance its budget every year.

 

The Council’s Framework for Change Programme is a comprehensive and ambitious programme that seeks to support the delivery of the Council’s core purpose. As would be expected with a programme of this size and complexity that spans a number of financial years, the detailed proposals have been and will continue to be the subject of change as they are developed and ultimately implemented.  Within this context, a detailed assessment of the previously approved plans for 2019/20 has been undertaken to confirm their deliverability.  In addition, a limited number of additional savings proposals have been identified to balance the budget and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

 

The following appendices were attached to the report:

 

A.    Service Options 2019/20

B.    Individual School Budgets 2019/20

C.   Draft Council Budget Summary 2019/20

D.   Fees and Charges 2019/20

E.    Capital Programme 2019/20 – 2020/21

 

The Council also considered a copy of an update note prepared by the Head of Corporate Resources which provided details of the Police, Fire, Mayoral and Parish Precepts and the draft Council Tax resolution which had been circulated to Members of the Council and published in a supplementary agenda prior to the start of the meeting.

 

It was moved by Councillor Maher, seconded by Councillor Cummins:

 

That:

 

Budget 2019/20 and Medium Term Financial Plan from 2020/21 to 2022/23

 

(1)      the update of the Medium Term Financial Plan for the period 2019/20 to 2022/23 be noted;

 

(2)      approval be given to the Revenue Budget for 2019/20 and officers be authorised to undertake the necessary actions to implement the recommendations;

 

(3)      delegated authority for the use and allocation of the Budget Pressure Fund and any other reserves and balances currently within the 2019/20 budget be granted to the Chief Executive and the Head of Corporate Resources, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, in order to manage the overall financial outturn;

 

(4)      the Schools’ Forum decisions on the Dedicated Schools Grant and Individual School Budgets be noted;

 

(5)      the allocation of specific grants as detailed in the report (Section 10) be approved;

 

(6)      the Fees and Charges as proposed in the draft Council budget (Appendix D) be approved;

 

(7)      subject to the recommendations above, the overall Council Tax resolution for 2019/20 including Police, Fire, Mayoral and Parish Precepts be approved; and,

 

  Capital Programme 2019/20 to 2020/21

 

(8)      approval be given for the inclusion within the Capital Programme, of the Capital schemes as detailed in Appendix E.

 

Councillors Maher, Pugh, Sir Ron Watson and McCann each gave a statement expressing the views of their political groups on the content of the report and the budget proposals.

 

Following debate and in accordance with Rule 96 of Chapter 4 in the Council Constitution, the voting on the Motion was recorded and the Members present at the time, voted as follows:

 

FOR THE MOTION:

 

Councillors Atkinson, Blackburne, Bradshaw, Brennan, Burns, Byrom, Carragher, Cummins, Dowd, Doyle, Friel, Grace, Hardy, John Kelly, John Joseph Kelly, Killen, Lappin, Maher, Marshall, McCann, McKinley, Moncur, Murphy, Brenda O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, O’Hanlon, Page, Roche, Roscoe, John Sayers, Yvonne Sayers, Spencer, Thomas, Anne Thompson, Tweed, Veidman and The Mayor.

 

AGAINST THE MOTION:

 

Councillors Brodie-Browne, Brough, Dodd, Dutton, Jamieson, Keith, Daniel Lewis, Morris, Pitt, Pugh, Pullin, Shaw, Lynne Thompson and Sir Ron Watson.

 

The Mayor declared that the Motion was carried by 37 votes to 14 and it was

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

Budget 2019/20 and Medium Term Financial Plan from 2020/21 to 2022/23

 

(1)      the update of the Medium Term Financial Plan for the period 2019/20 to 2022/23 be noted;

 

(2)      approval be given to the Revenue Budget for 2019/20 and officers be authorised to undertake the necessary actions to implement the recommendations;

 

(3)      delegated authority for the use and allocation of the Budget Pressure Fund and any other reserves and balances currently within the 2019/20 budget be granted to the Chief Executive and the Head of Corporate Resources, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, in order to manage the overall financial outturn;

 

(4)      the Schools’ Forum decisions on the Dedicated Schools Grant and Individual School Budgets be noted;

 

(5)      the allocation of specific grants as detailed in the report (Section 10) be approved;

 

(6)      the Fees and Charges as proposed in the draft Council budget (Appendix D) be approved;

 

(7)      it be noted that at its meeting on 24 January 2019, the Council calculated the following amounts for the year 2019/2020 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 1992 (as amended):

(a)	84,077.30	Band D equivalent properties, for the whole area [item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended]; and
(b)	for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as shown in the table below:

 

Parish	Council Tax Base
	(Band D Equivalent Properties)
Aintree Village	2,066.90
Formby	9,139.80
Hightown	870.60
Ince Blundell	167.20
Little Altcar	333.90
Lydiate	2,065.20
Maghull	6,647.40
Melling	1,008.70
Sefton	239.70
Thornton	770.30

 

(8)      the Council calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council's own purposes for 2019/2020 (excluding Parish Precepts) is £132,026,584.

 

(9)      the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2019/2020 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

 

(a)	£590,073,926	Being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils.
(b)	-£456,974,835	Being the aggregate amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.
(c)	£133,099,091	Being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year (item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).
(d)	£1,583.06	Being the amount at 3(c) above (item R), divided by the amount at 1(a) above (item T), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish Precepts).
(e)	£1,072,507	Being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish Precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act.
(f)	£1,570.30	Being the amount at 3(d) above, less the amount given by dividing the amount at 3(e) above by the amount at 1(a) above (item T), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special item relates.
(g)	The amounts below, being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of thespecial items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned above divided in eachcase by the amount at 1(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 34(3) of the Actas basic amounts of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which specialitems relate.
	Parish Aintree Village Formby Hightown Ince Blundell Little Altcar Lydiate Maghull Melling Sefton Thornton		£  1,625.50  1,580.26  1,576.57  1,582.32  1,580.26  1,646.13  1,668.53  1,605.00  1,599.50  1,576.79
(h)	The amounts below being the amounts given by multiplying the amounts at 3(f) and 3(g) above by thenumber which, in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in aparticular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listedin valuation Band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as theamounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in differentvaluation bands.
	Property Valuation Band Proportion of Band D A 6/9 B 7/9 C 8/9 D 9/9 E 11/9 F 13/9 G 15/9 H 18/9   £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Parish                                   Aintree Village 1,083.67 1,264.28 1,444.89 1,625.50 1,986.72 2,347.94 2,709.17 3,251.00                   Formby 1,053.51 1,229.09 1,404.68 1,580.26 1,931.43 2,282.60 2,633.77 3,160.52                   Hightown 1,051.05 1,226.22 1,401.40 1,576.57 1,926.92 2,277.27 2,627.62 3,153.14                   Ince Blundell 1,054.88 1,230.69 1,406.51 1,582.32 1,933.95 2,285.57 2,637.20 3,164.64                   Little Altcar 1,053.51 1,229.09 1,404.68 1,580.26 1,931.43 2,282.60 2,633.77 3,160.52                   Lydiate 1,097.42 1,280.32 1,463.23 1,646.13 2,011.94 2,377.74 2,743.55 3,292.26                   Maghull 1,112.35 1,297.75 1,483.14 1,668.53 2,039.31 2,410.10 2,780.88 3,337.06                   Melling 1,070.00 1,248.33 1,426.67 1,605.00 1,961.67 2,318.33 2,675.00 3,210.00                   Sefton 1,066.33 1,244.06 1,421.78 1,599.50 1,954.94 2,310.39 2,665.83 3,199.00                   Thornton 1,051.19 1,226.39 1,401.59 1,576.79 1,927.19 2,277.59 2,627.98 3,153.58                   All Other Parts of the Council's Area 1,046.87 1,221.34 1,395.82 1,570.30 1,919.26 2,268.21 2,617.17 3,140.60

 

(10)    it be noted that for the year 2019/2020, the major precepting authorities have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings shown below:

 

			Property Valuation Band
Proportion of	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Band D	6/9	7/9	8/9	9/9	11/9	13/9	15/9	18/9
	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Precepting Authority
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Authority	52.56	61.32	70.08	78.84	96.36	113.88	131.40	157.68
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner	134.65	157.09	179.53	201.97	246.85	291.73	336.62	403.94
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority	12.67	14.78	16.89	19.00	23.22	27.44	31.67	38.00

 

(11)    the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in the table below as the amounts of Council Tax for 2019/2020 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

 

			Property Valuation Band
Proportion of	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Band D	6/9	7/9	8/9	9/9	11/9	13/9	15/9	18/9
	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Parish
Aintree Village	1,283.55	1,497.47	1,711.39	1,925.31	2,353.15	2,780.99	3,208.86	3,850.62
Formby	1,253.39	1,462.28	1,671.18	1,880.07	2,297.86	2,715.65	3,133.46	3,760.14
Hightown	1,250.93	1,459.41	1,667.90	1,876.38	2,293.35	2,710.32	3,127.31	3,752.76
Ince Blundell	1,254.76	1,463.88	1,673.01	1,882.13	2,300.38	2,718.62	3,136.89	3,764.26
Little Altcar	1,253.39	1,462.28	1,671.18	1,880.07	2,297.86	2,715.65	3,133.46	3,760.14
Lydiate	1,297.30	1,513.51	1,729.73	1,945.94	2,378.37	2,810.79	3,243.24	3,891.88
Maghull	1,312.23	1,530.94	1,749.64	1,968.34	2,405.74	2,843.15	3,280.57	3,936.68
Melling	1,269.88	1,481.52	1,693.17	1,904.81	2,328.10	2,751.38	3,174.69	3,809.62
Sefton	1,266.21	1,477.25	1,688.28	1,899.31	2,321.37	2,743.44	3,165.52	3,798.62
Thornton	1,251.07	1,459.58	1,668.09	1,876.60	2,293.62	2,710.64	3,127.67	3,753.20
All Other Parts of the Council's Area	1,246.75	1,454.53	1,662.32	1,870.11	2,285.69	2,701.26	3,116.86	3,740.22

 

(12)    the Council's basic amount of Council Tax for 2019/2020 is not deemed to be excessive in accordance with the principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

 

  Capital Programme 2019/20 to 2020/21

 

(13)    approval be given for the inclusion within the Capital Programme, of the Capital schemes as detailed in Appendix E.