Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

            The Chief Executive introduced the 2019/20 Council Fund Budget: Updated Forecast and Stage 1 and 2 Budget Proposals report which set out solutions for those stages.  Stage 1 covered budget solutions for corporate finance with Stage 2 covering budget solutions for the service portfolios.

            A recent Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the proposals for both stages, having taken into account recommendations and feedback from the five portfolio Overview and Scrutiny Committees which met during October and November.  Comments made at the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee included transport cost efficiencies and reserves and balances.  Officers would provide responses to the transports efficiencies and a report would be submitted to a future meeting on reserves and balances.  Members of the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee formally supported the campaign, #BacktheAsk.

            The Corporate Finance Manager provided details on the updated forecast prior to the provisional settlement and details of new pressures.  Table 2 of the report detailed the revised forecast.

            The Stage 1 budget proposals had been shared at Member workshops in July and September with proposals totalling £7.937m.  Throughout October and November the respective Overview and Scrutiny Committees considered the Stage 2 proposals.  Those proposals totalled £0.963m and would contribute £0.630m to the budget once income targets and workforce reductions had been deducted.

            Subject to the success of campaigning for an improved Local Government Settlement and having taken into account the proposals made for Stages 1 and 2, the remaining gap for the Council Fund Budget for 2019/20 was in the region of £6.7m.

            Councillor Shotton added that the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), with the full support of its membership, was resolute that the Provisional Settlement was grossly inadequate to meet the evidenced funding needs of local government in Wales.  As a low funded Council per capita, and a low funded Council in the annualised formula-based settlement for 2019/20, Flintshire was particularly exposed to the risks of inadequate funding for local government,

            To offset the need for a far higher than normal annual rise in Council Tax the Council was invited to renew its campaign for fairer funding for local government by pressing for the following from Welsh Government (WG):

·         The extra £30m being held for social care in Wales to be paid out to Councils (worth an estimated £1.3m for Flintshire);

·         The extra £15m being held for schools in Wales to be paid out to Councils  (worth an estimated £0.800m for Flintshire and its schools);

·         An extra £13m to be found so that no Council faced an annual reduction in their government grant (worth an estimated £1.9m for Flintshire); and

·         The extra £33m ‘consequential’ funds coming to Wales as a result of the recent Chancellor’s budget to be paid out to Councils as committed by WG (worth an estimated £1.6m for Flintshire).

The Chief Executive said Stage 3 of the budget setting process would involve setting a balanced budget with knowledge of the Final Local Government Settlement.   The final and balanced budget was due  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257