Issue - meetings

That:

1)         the current position of the revenue budget to date be noted;

2)        the forecast of outturn and the projected level of balances in respect of the General Fund be noted;

3)        the supplementary estimate agreed at the Special Council Executive Committee held on 30 May 2019 and the drawdown against the general fund be noted;

4)        an in-year supplementary estimate for £70,000, for the ongoing funding of the new “Assistant Director for Highways and Transport”, be approved;

5)        an in-year supplementary estimate for £75,000, to fund the one-off additional costs of the interim Assistant Director for Education pending the appointment of a permanent replacement, be approved.

The Executive considered a report setting out the current position of the revenue budget and an estimate of the expected outturn position at the end of the financial year.

The Executive Member for Finance and Housing drew Members’ attention to the predicted overspend of £850k and the fact that this was actually only 0.6% of the original budget.  With regard to the £550k predicted overspend in Children’s Services Councillor Kaiser advised that this was due to the pressures placed on the department, particularly in relation to the High Needs Block and home to school transport.  It was noted that the Council was predicting to carry forward a permitted deficit on the High Needs Block of £4.2m and a turnaround and recovery plan was being developed for presentation to the DfE.  In addition the shortfalls in the level of Dedicated Schools Grant funding from central Government continued to cause a pressure for both the Council and its maintained schools.

The Executive Member for Highways and Transport was pleased to see the proposal for a supplementary estimate to fund the permanent appointment of a new Assistant Director for Highways and Transport as she felt it was a really important area and would enable there to be more focus on highways congestion in the Borough.

RESOLVED that:

1)         the current position of the revenue budget to date be noted;

2)        the forecast of outturn and the projected level of balances in respect of the General Fund be noted;

3)        the supplementary estimate agreed at the Special Council Executive Committee held on 30 May 2019 and the drawdown against the general fund be noted;

4)        an in-year supplementary estimate for £70,000, for the ongoing funding of the new “Assistant Director for Highways and Transport”, be approved;

5)        an in-year supplementary estimate for £75,000, to fund the one-off additional costs of the interim Assistant Director for Education pending the appointment of a permanent replacement, be approved.