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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 icon PDF 136 KB

Decision:

AGREED RECOMMENDATIONS

Reason for decision – as specified in the report.

Other options considered - none.

Conflicts of interest/dispensations granted – none

Link to report

 

 

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.

Link to report