Issue - meetings

Council Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21 Stage Three Post-Settlement

Meeting: 18/02/2020 - Flintshire County Council (Item 109)

109 Council Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21 Stage Three - Setting a Legal and Balanced Budget pdf icon PDF 79 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       That the recommendations of Cabinet, as detailed above, for balancing the budget for 2020/21 be approved; and

 

(b)       That the level of Council Tax for 2020/21  as recommended by Cabinet be approved.

 

Minutes:

The Chief Executive introduced a report to receive the recommendations from Cabinet  to Council to set a legal and balanced Council Fund Revenue Budget for 2020/21. He referred to the Budget Statement provided to Members which had been approved at the meeting of Cabinet held immediately prior to the meeting of the Council and set out the recommendations of Cabinet for balancing the budget for 2020/21. 

 

The Chief Executive, Corporate Finance Manager, and Revenues Manager, delivered a presentation which covered the following key areas: 

 

  • setting a legal and balanced budget
  • update on the financial forecast for 2020/21
  • Budget solutions 2020/21
  • reserves (unearmarked/earmarked)
  • schools and social care budgets
  • open risks
  • Council Tax
  • professional opinions and concluding remarks
  • looking ahead and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)

 

Councillor Ian Roberts thanked the Chief Executive and Officers for their presentation and work to set a balanced budget.  He also thanked Members for their engagement and collaboration to request, as a united Council through the Wlesh Local Government Association (WLGA), that the Welsh Government (WG)  sought solutions to the uncertainty of funding for local government and emphasised the need for stability. 

 

Councillor Roberts referred to the recent severe weather and took the opportunity to express thanks to the Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) and the Streetscene services team for their preparatory work and commitment to deal with any matters of urgency arising.   Referring to the setting of Council Tax he  commented on the 0.25% increase in the levy of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority and, commenting on the range of services provided, said the Council had a duty to ensure resilience. 

 

Councillor Roberts referred to the savings achieved in the Clwyd Pension Fund through the reduction in employer contributions (Triennial Review) for Flintshire and the re-calculation of the in-year position on employer annual pension contributions, and thanked all those involved. 

 

In moving the Cabinet recommendations 1 to 8 to Council, as detailed in the Cabinet report which was appended to the report, Councillor Ian Roberts drew attention to recommendation 8: “That Cabinet calls on both Governments to commit to a three-year medium-term budget planning with local government settlements in Wales to be at a minimum level of 4% in each of those years, and for national pay awards and reforms and pension reforms and revaluations to be funding in full at a national level at source”.  

 

Councillor Roberts commented that the Council was mindful of the direct impact that  Council Tax had on people and was pleased that the Council Tax as recommended by Cabinet was 4.5%.  He said that whilst this would rise to 4.75% when the increase in the levy for the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority was added it was still below the Council’s commitment to cap an annual rise in Council Tax to 5.0%.  Councillor Roberts stated that the average increase in Council Tax for a Band D household - once the Police precept and the precept for Town and Community Councils had been included -  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109