Issue - meetings

To receive a presentation and verbal update on the settlement and its implications for Flintshire’s annual budgets - Chief Executive and Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance

That the outline response to the provisional Local Government Settlement be agreed and referred to Council for endorsement.

Prior to the presentation, the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance suggested that the outline response be presented to County Council the following week for endorsement given the shared concern across the political groups on the settlement, which was agreed.

The Chief Executive and Corporate Finance Manager delivered a presentation on the response to the Provisional Local Government Settlement for 2015/16 which outlined the following:

·         Key timescales

·         Headline information for Flintshire County Council

·         The budget story

·         Context

·         2015-16

·         The medium and longer-term

The Chief Executive emphasised the difficulties placed on local authorities as no indicative details on the settlements for the coming years were available from Welsh Government (WG) which resulted in Council’s being unable to plan ahead with purpose and certainty.  He also stressed that the reductions in Revenue Support Grant experienced in 2014-15 were not sustainable.

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said if the trajectory of cuts to local government finances continued, local government would not be viable in its current form.  He felt the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) needed to speak with one voice to lobby WG for the sustainability of public services in Wales.  Cabinet Members concurred with the comments of the Leader and commented on the importance of the devolution of services to local government.

Following the Leader’s comments prior to the start of the presentation, the Chief Executive explained that the deadline for responding to WG on the Settlement was the following day.  If Cabinet Members resolved to refer the outline response to County Council the following week, he would request an extension for after that meeting.  If an extension was not agreed, a draft response could be submitted to WG prior to County Council.

RESOLVED:

That the outline response to the provisional Local Government Settlement be agreed and that it be referred to County Council for endorsement.