Issue - meetings

That the presentation be noted.

The Chairman welcomed the contributors to the meeting.

                        The Head of Finance explained that in conjunction with the Chief Executive, an overview of the draft budget proposals for 2014/15 was being provided for each Overview and Scrutiny Committee with the proposals for the specific area covered by each Committee detailed at the meetings.  She advised that the Director of Lifelong Learning, would present on the directorate specific aspects of the budget.  The main features of the presentation were as follows:-

• National Context and Local Impact
• Budget overview
• How did the budget gap reduce?
• Organisational redesign and change
• Corporate VFM and Functional VFM
• Ongoing work
• Next Steps

            The Director of Lifelong Learning continued with the presentation and reported on the budget proposals and key service issues concerning: 

• Inflation
• Transfers into Settlement
• Pressures and Investments
• Efficiencies
• Prior year decisions for information

Councillor Aaron Shotton referred to the unprecedented financial challenge faced by the Authority this year.  He commented on the Authority’s commitment, and a Ministerial expectation, to protect school budgets which had resulted in pressures across the remainder of the Council budget.  He highlighted the challenges, in context of the financial gap, to protect non statutory areas of leisure and libraries and advised that there had been an increase of £1M in the funding for leisure this year. 

Councillor Shotton referred to correspondence received from the Minister for Culture and Sport urging careful consideration be given to reducing services in leisure, libraries and culture, and said that he took pride in responding to the Minister, on behalf of the Council, to state that the Authority would not be reducing or closing any of the facilities in these areas.  He cited as an example that the Authority was actually extending its culture heritage exhibition in the Connah’s Quay Connects centre.    

In summary Councillor Shotton advised that the Authority was exploring all opportunities through internal and management costs to achieve efficiencies and referred to the need to consider alternative models of delivery in all services across the Council to sustain services going forward.

Councillor Chris Bithell reiterated the sentiments expressed by Councillor Shotton and commented that the Authority was working to achieve savings where it could through value for money (VFM).  He also paid tribute to Officers in the Lifelong Learning directorate for their work in achieving efficiencies whilst endeavouring to protect schools services. 

Councillor Kevin Jones referred to the significant work to reduce the level of expenditure in management costs in Leisure Services to ensure current services were maintained in the future.  He also commented on the current review of “open spaces” and the intention to bring these areas under the management of Streetscene Services.

The comments and questions which were raised by Members of the Committee, and the responses given are attached at Appendix 1.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.