Agenda item

7.1

The Interim Executive Director, Resources, submitted a report providing the Month 5 Monitoring Statement on the City Council’s Revenue Budget and Capital Programme for 2016/17.

7.2

Mike Thomas, Acting Assistant Director, Strategic Finance, introduced the report which contained, as appendices, an overview of the financial position on each of the Council’s Portfolios, the Public Health grant spend across the Council and the Housing Revenue Account budget.  The report contained details on the movements in the budget since Month 3, highlighting monthly trends in terms of Months 3 to 6, including levels of variance and risks.

7.3

Mr. Thomas circulated a report, and gave a presentation on the Month 6 Monitoring Statement on the City Council’s Revenue Budget and Capital Programme as at 30^th September, 2016, which had become available following the publishing of the agenda papers for this meeting.  He reported on the forecast revenue overspend trends for Months 3, 5 and 6 in 2016/17, compared with the same months in 2015/16, and referred to the current position in terms of forecast overspend, indicating that, whilst spending control measures were being considered to balance the budget for 2016/17, overspend still remained a real possibility.  Councillor Ben Curran added that pressures in terms of social care were proving very challenging for the Council, as had been the case for a number of years.

7.4

Members of the Committee raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

·                     It was the understanding of officers, who had worked with partners in the Clinical Commissioning Group, that the Group would be able to provide £5m recurrently, but had only provided £3.5m in 2016/17 which had contributed towards the forecast overspend in the Communities Portfolio.  In order to mitigate the adverse the effects of such budget deficits, it had been identified that there was a need to pool more of the Council’s budgets with NHS England, with the aim of achieving mutual savings.

·                     Further to the recent budget cuts, and resultant reduction in staffing levels and current vacancy control measures at the Council, it was hoped that customers’ expectations could be managed as best as possible.

·                     With regard to forward planning, there was a two-year plan with regard to Children, Young People and Families and work in Adult Care on looking at how the Council could develop more local capacity. With this, and other intervention measures, it was hoped that there would be some early improvements, followed by further improvements in 2017/18.

7.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       notes the contents of the report now submitted, including the report on the Month 6 Monitoring Statement now circulated, the information reported as part of the presentation and the responses to the questions raised; and

(b)       thanks Mike Thomas for attending the meeting and responding to the questions raised.