Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Corporate Finance Manager provided Members with the first available revenue budget monitoring information for the Council Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for 2014/15.

Due to the completion of the Statement of Accounts to meet the statutory deadline of June, the first budget monitoring report of the year did not provide the level of detail which followed from month three onwards but did highlight any significant budget risks at this very early stage of the year.

Emerging risks were highlighted as: out of county placements, deprivation of liberty assessments, professional support, single status and the former Euticals Site.

Details of the monitoring of corporate and functional and workforce efficiencies were detailed in the report.

On unearmarked reserves, the final level of Council Fund Contingency Reserve brought forward into 2014/15 was £5.328m as detailed in the 2013/14 outturn report.

Cabinet Members commented on the emerging risk of the former Euticals Site and the lack of financial assistance from Welsh Government (WG). The Chief Executive explained that the County Council had to intervene in the interests of public health and safety.  In the absence of financial assistance being made available to the Council, it was agreed with Crown Estates to transfer the abandoned site to the Council at a nominal value.  Tenders were shortly to be invited for the full decommissioning, decontamination and clearance of the site and the position would be reported upon in future monitoring reports.  Depending on the final cost the Council may need to re-approach WG for assistance.

On workforce efficiencies, the Chief Executive explained that this was a new experience for the Council and that a second phase of requests for voluntary redundancies and early voluntary retirements would take place over the coming months in a bid to achieve the full efficiency target.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.