Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

The Council considered the joint report of the Chief Executive and the Head ofCorporate Finance and ICT which:

·                     provided an update on the Council’s financial position for 2015/16 and 2016/17 following the Local Government Finance Provisional Settlement 2015/16

·                     set the financial position in the context of the Council’s priorities

·                     described the process undertaken to deliver a programme of savings options that reflected the need to produce a balanced budget alongside the objective of minimising the impact of the cuts on Sefton communities

·                     provided the Council with savings options that would contribute to the forecast budget gap for the next two years

·                     outlined the gap remaining and the timetable for producing a balanced two year budget plan.

The report indicated that since 2011, the Council had faced unprecedented reductions in its resources as a result of cuts in Government Funding. In the preceding 4 years, cuts of £114 million had been identified and implemented. The Council had now received confirmation of the level of Government funding it would receive in 2015/16 and this had confirmed that for the period 2015/16 to 2016/17, further savings of £55 million would need to be identified. This represented a real term reduction of 45% on the 2011 spending level.

Detailed on-going work had sought to identify budget reductions that would meet the two year savings requirement. This process had involved detailed risk assessments, relative prioritisation and the impact on our communities. The process was agreed by Cabinet in November 2014.

Reductions of this level had and would continue to have a significant impact on Council services and outcomes for Sefton communities. It was therefore important that the Council’s remaining resources were spent in areas of highest priority that minimised the negative impact on communities. However it was also important to stress that it would be impossible to deliver savings of this magnitude without reducing levels of service across the range of Council activities. This included those services commissioned with public, private, voluntary, community and faith partners to deliver support to our communities.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That the recommendations set out in the report be approved.”

Following the debate, the requisite number of Members having signified their wish that the voting on the Motion should be recorded in accordance with Rule 92 of Chapter 4 in the Council Constitution, the voting was duly recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as follows:

FOR THE MOTION:

Councillors Atkinson, Veronica Bennett, Bradshaw, Brennan, Burns, Byrom, Carr, Crabtree, Cummins, Dams, P. Dowd, Fairclough, Friel, Gatherer, Grace, John Kelly, John Joseph Kelly, Kermode, Kerrigan, Killen, Lappin, P. Maguire, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, McKinley, Moncur, Murphy, O’Brien, Owens, Page, Roberts, Roche, Thompson,Tweed, Veidman, Webster and the Mayor (Councillor Cluskey).

AGAINST THE MOTION:

Councillors Ball, David Barton, Booth, Brodie-Browne, Cuthbertson, Dawson, Dodd, Dutton, Lord Fearn, Maureen Fearn, Hartill, Keith, Lewis, S. McGuire, Preece, Robertson and Welsh.

ABSTENTION;

Councillor Maria Bennett

The Mayor declared that the Motion was carriedby  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

Further to Minute No. 41 of the meeting held on 27 November 2014, the Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided details of the Council’s financial position for 2015/16 and 2016/17.  This followed the Local Government Finance Provisional Settlement 2015/16; the updated and new savings options that would contribute to the forecast budget gap for the next two years, the budget gap remaining and the timetable for producing a balanced two year budget plan.

In addition the report also reviewed the implementation of the 2014/15 budget reductions and provided details of a proposed amendment to the 2014/15 capital funding which was funded from external resources.

The Chief Executive indicated that the Council had recently received confirmation of the level of Government funding it would receive in 2015/16 and this had confirmed that previous forecasts were accurate and that the Council faces £55 million savings for the period 2015/16 to 2016/17. Savings of £15.478m had still to be identified and approved to meet the shortfall of £55m and further reports would be submitted to the Cabinet on proposed budget savings proposals prior to consideration at the Budget Council meeting on 5 March 2015.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Services and Performance) at its meeting held on 13 January 2015 had considered and noted a report on the Council’s budget position and the budget savings proposals.

Decision Made:

That:

In relation to the 2015/16 and 2016/17 Budget Plan:

(1)       the work programme timetable set out in Annex A of the report be noted;

(2)       the update on the Local Government Finance Provisional Settlement 2015/16 as outlined in paragraph 3 of the report be noted;

(3)       the feedback from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Services and Performance) held on 13 January 2015 relating to the budget items included in the report be noted;

(4)       the updated items identified as efficiencies in Annex B of the report be approved and it be noted that these will be implemented immediately by officers;

(5)       the Council be recommended to approve the following revisions to budget savings proposals as set out in Annex C of the report which were originally considered by the Cabinet on 27 November 2014: