Agenda item

10.1

The purpose of this report is to set out new financial pressures facing the Waste & Street Scene Committee in 2024/25, including fees, grant and other income available to the council to offset these pressures and proposals for how pressures may be addressed

10.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee:-

1.     notes the new financial pressures facing Waste and Street Scene for 24/25 and the new income available to help mitigate them; and

2.     notes that the proposals/mitigations will be presented to the Strategy and Resources Committee as part of the Council’s budget for 2024/25.

10.3

Reasons for Decision

10.3.1

Members are asked to note the unsustainable financial position highlighted by the medium-term financial analysis presented to Strategy and Resources Committee in September 2023. This report and its recommendations, sets out the scale of the challenge ahead, the limited resources available and some of the difficult decisions that will need to be taken.

10.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

10.4.1

The Council is required to both set a balance budget and to ensure that in-year income and expenditure are balanced. The options presented in this paper, if accepted, will negate the need to make any staff or resource cuts to the respective services and therefore, should allow the continuation of good quality customer services.

10.1

The Director of Street Scene and Regulation and the Head of Service: Finance and Commercial Business Partnering presented a report that set out the new financial pressures facing the Waste and Street Scene Committee in 2024/25, including fees, grant and other income available to the council to offset these pressures and proposals for how pressures may be addressed. Members were informed that, since the publication of the agenda, the funding gap for Waste and Street Scene in 2024/25 had been bridged.

10.2

During consideration of this item of business, and in order for Members of the Committee to ask questions on Appendices 1 and 2 of the report, it was RESOLVED: That the public and press be excluded from the meeting and the webcast be paused before further discussion takes place on the grounds that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, if those persons were present, there would be a disclosure to them of exempt information as described in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.

10.3

The meeting was re-opened to the public and press, and the webcast was recommenced, prior to the decision being taken by the Committee.

10.4

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee:-

1.     notes the new financial pressures facing Waste and Street Scene for 24/25 and the new income available to help mitigate them; and

2.     notes that the proposals/mitigations will be presented to the Strategy and Resources Committee as part of the Council’s budget for 2024/25.

10.5

Reasons for Decision

10.5.1

Members are asked to note the unsustainable financial position highlighted by the medium-term financial analysis presented to Strategy and Resources Committee in September 2023. This report and its recommendations, sets out the scale of the challenge ahead, the limited resources available and some of the difficult decisions that will need to be taken.

10.6

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

10.6.1

The Council is required to both set a balance budget and to ensure that in-year income and expenditure are balanced. The options presented in this paper, if accepted, will negate the need to make any staff or resource cuts to the respective services and therefore, should allow the continuation of good quality customer services.