Issue - meetings

That the County Council approve the recommendation of the Cabinet from its meeting held on 19 February 2013 as set out in Section 8 of the Cabinet report attached to the Council report subject to an amendment to recommendation 8.01.8 to include £3.155m of pressures in the budget (from £3.261m as per the report), and 8.01.11 to include efficiencies of £5.331m in the budget (from £5.437m as per the report) and to include an additional recommendation (8.01.14) that the appendices included in the report be amended to reflect the changes approved on the re-allocation of £420,000 from the Invest-to-Save funds for:-

(i)         Car Park Charging and Car Park Enforcement - £185,000

(ii)        Welfare Reform – Discretionary Housing Payments - £135,000

(iii)       Youth Service - £50,000

(iv)       Community Covenant with the Armed Forces - £25,000

(v)        Flintshire Connects - £25,000

The Chief Executive and Head of Finance jointly presented a report which provided Members with the recommendations of the Cabinet for the Council Fund Revenue Budget 2013/14. 

                        Prior to the presentation the Chief Executive and Head of Finance expressed their thanks to the Finance and other staff across the Council who had been involved in the preparation of the budget and for the valuable input from the Overview & Scrutiny committees. 

                        The Council was informed that at its meeting on 19 February 2013, Cabinet had considered a joint report from the Chief Executive and Head of Finance on the Council Fund Revenue Budget 2013/14 which was attached at Appendix A to the report.  The initial budget proposals considered by Cabinet on 18 December 2012 had been referred to Overview and Scrutiny for consideration.  A summary of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees’ observations and questions, together with responses, was included in the Appendix of the 19 February 2013 Cabinet report. 

                        The Chief Executive and Head of Finance gave a joint presentation and commented upon the following areas:-

·         Budget Overview

·         Budget Strategy

·         Overview & Scrutiny Considerations

·         Achieving a Balanced Budget

·         Final Budget Proposals

·         Estimates & Reserves

·         2014/15 and the Medium Term

Councillor A.P. Shotton, Leader of the Council expressed his thanks on behalf of the Cabinet Members for the work undertaken on the budget.  He referred to the unprecedented cuts to jobs which were being made by English Councils and took pride in the shared decisions of the Council to protect services and jobs which he felt should be applauded.  At the Overview and Scrutiny budget meetings, he had referred to the budget as a “stepping stone” budget and he explained that this was because of the difficult challenges ahead which would require brave decisions in the future.  He spoke of the invitation which he had extended to the Chairman of Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Councillor R.B. Jones, to provide input into developing a Value for Money programme for the Council.  He indicated that he was submitting an amendment to the recommendations to Council as set out in the agenda papers and circulated copies of his proposals.  He was recommending that the budget be approved as set out in the report subject to the re-allocation of £420,000 from the Invest-to-Save funds for the following areas:-

• Car Parking Charging and Civil Parking Enforcement - £185,000
• Welfare Reform – Discretionary Housing Payments - £135,000
• Youth Service - £50,000
• Community Covenant with the Armed Forces - £25,000
• Flintshire Connects - £25,000

He detailed his proposals and commended the budget to Council; the proposals were duly seconded. 

            Councillor P.G. Heesom spoke in support of the budget and explained that the budget setting had been difficult this year but that it would be worse in the next few years.  He referred to the budget strategy which had been developed within the context of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).  Councillor C.A. Ellis thanked the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council for listening to the residents of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 140