Issue - meetings
Budget Proposals 2019/20 - Comments of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee
Meeting: 07/02/2019 - Executive (Item 585)
585 Budget Proposals 2019/20 - Comments of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee PDF 136 KB
Decision:
AGREED RECOMMENDATIONS
Reason for decision – as specified in the report.
Other options considered - none.
Conflicts of interest/dispensations granted – none
Minutes:
RESOLVED:
That the following comments of
the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee be noted:
- Noted that Central Government has reduced its core funding to the Council by 70% since 2010
- The combination of Government funding cuts and rising demand for services means that the Council has to close a revenue gap of £50m over the next 3 years, and that the Council has already had to make savings of £225m since 2010
- Members noted that the Council has undertaken an extensive organisation wide exercise to re-examine every budget line and to prioritise spend
- The Committee were pleased to note that the Council had managed to set a 3 year budget, which gave certainty to residents on services that would continue to be provided and to staff
- Welcomed the investment in new build Council housing and the provision for tackling homelessness
- Members welcomed the additional £13.5m allocated to purchase properties to provide temporary accommodation and the £0.5k for targeted support for youth provision
- Noted that the Council Tax increase would be 2.99%, which would leave LBI Council Tax still below the London average
- Noted that the Government had now agreed to fund applications for EU settled status, and that this would require a budget amendment, as the Council had set aside provision for this payment
- Reference was made to the fact that provision needed to be made for possible Partners property repairs when these transfer back to the Council
- Precise details were not at present known as a result of the Government’s Fair Funding Review
- With regard to possible staff losses (likely to be around 180 posts over a 3 year Budget period), these could be achieved largely through the deletion of vacant posts and voluntary redundancies. Discussion was taking place with Trade Unions on the proposals. These posts were a mixture of more senior and lower paid grades and spread across departments
- Noted that the Council are not offering enhanced voluntary redundancy arrangements
- Discussion took place as to the Business Rate Retention scheme and that this was administered by the Corporation of London and the Council had a representative on the decision making bodies.
Reason for decision – to allow consideration of the comments of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee.
Other options considered – none other than as specified in the report.
Conflicts of interest/dispensations granted – none.