Agenda item

To provide the Committee with the current financial forecast position for 2018/19 and consult on the Stage 1 Council Fund Revenue budget proposals for 2018/19.

That the Committee was satisfied with the approach being taken to the Budget within the Community & Enterprise portfolio.

The Finance Manager Corporate Accounting and Systems introduced the report which set out the current financial forecast for 2018/19 and emergent options and financial pressures for the Community and Enterprise portfolio.

            The financial forecast as detailed in section 1.04 of the report had been revised to take into account decisions made as part of the 2017/18 budget, and updated with the latest information on pressures from service portfolios.  A settlement at or similar to the 2017/18 financial baseline was used as the basis for calculating the forecast for 2018/19 and no modelling for raised Council Tax levels had been included at this stage.

            The Finance Manager Corporate Accounting and Systems concluded that stage one service portfolio proposals were being presented throughout October to all Overview & Scrutiny Committees for review.  The Provisional Settlement for Local Government in Wales was due to be announced on 10 October, 2017.  The Final Settlement was expected later in the calendar year and would follow the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s budget statement which was due to be made on 22 November, 2017.

            The Chairman invited the Chief Officer (Community & Enterprise) to present the Resilience Statement and Operating Models for the Community & Enterprise portfolio.

            The Chief Officer outlined the Resilience Statement as appended to the report, which detailed efficiencies made to date and the impacts these efficiencies had on the services within the Community & Enterprise Portfolio.

            The Finance Manager Community Services detailed the proposed efficiencies for 2018-19 which totalled between £0.837m and £0.893m, as detailed within the Future Operating Model, shown at Appendix 2.  The proposed efficiencies included new arrangements for telephone charges to contact the Connects Service, adjustment to bad debt provision, workforce efficiencies and savings in CTRS Scheme.

            Councillor Paul Shotton referred to Welfare Rights and the Flintshire staff members working with the Citizens Advice Bureau helping to support claimants with Universal Credit which had huge implications.  He asked that the availability of free school meals be highlighted more by school governors.  The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing suggested lobbying anyone who had influence either nationally or locally as this was not taken up by all families who could access this service.  Councillor Rosetta Dolphin referred to free school meals and suggested more conversations with parents would be beneficial to encourage this to be taken up.

Councillor Dolphin welcomed vacant homes being brought back into use to reduce the number of families having to be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation.  She also commented on the Welfare Rights Team and was surprised that there were only 2 members of staff within the team and asked if this had an impact on the service being delivered.

In response, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing commented on universal credit claimants having to wait up to six weeks and in some cases four to five months for their claims to be processed.  He gave an assurance that no further budget efficiencies would be found within the Welfare Rights Team in addition to what was proposed in this report.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee was satisfied with the approach being taken to the Budget within the Community & Enterprise portfolio.