Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Roberts thanked everybody for their involvement in the budget process.  He also expressed his thanks to the Welsh Government (WG) for the best settlement the Council had received to date.  However, there were challenges ahead that would be faced.

The Corporate Finance Manager said Cabinet received an update on the key headlines and financial impacts of the Welsh Local Government Provisional Settlement at its meeting on 18^th January 2022.

Fundamentally, the settlement included confirmation of the need to meet the costs of some new responsibilities – the most significant of which being (1) full costs of future pay awards; (2) implementation of the Real Living Wage; (3) cessation of the hardship fund; and (4) Specific Grant impacts.

Due to the above some urgent prioritised work was required and the outcome of that work was set out in the report.  The report recommended solutions and set out recommendations for the Council to be able to reach a legal and balanced budget.  The report also set out the Council Tax recommendation for setting local taxation levels for 2022/23.  A formal resolution was proposed for Council later that day as notification had been received of the precepts of the Police and Crime Commissioner and all town and community councils within Flintshire.

The level of annual increase in Council Tax was a decision for full Council.  In previous years, Council had set a clear direction that any annual increase should be at 5% or less.  The Council had to include a number of additional pressures to provide for the new responsibilities identified in the Welsh Local Government Provisional Settlement which had increased the budget requirement.  Based on the final additional budget requirement of £30.562m an overall annual increase of 3.3% was required on Council Tax for Council Services and 0.65% for additional contributions to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Regional Coroners Service and Regional Education Consortium GwE.  That equated to an overall uplift of 3.95% and provided overall additional yield of £3.825m in 2022/23.  That amounted to an annual increase of £55.08 per annum and brought the amount to £1,449.58 on a Band D equivalent (£1.06 per week).

The Police precept and town and community council precepts for 2022/23 had all been notified to the Council as the Council Tax collection authority and a separate report was on the Council agenda to discussion later that day.

Councillor Johnson commented on the challenges that the Council would face in years 2 and 3, including the additional pressures such as the rise in inflation and energy costs.

The Chief Executive said a recent announcement had been made by WG on the cost of living payment of £150 to all households in Bands A-D, and the detail of that needed to be understood.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the revised additional budget requirement for 2022/23 be noted and approved;

(b)       That the final proposals for the corporate efficiencies which will contribute to the budget be approved;

(c)        That Cabinet recommends to Council a legal and balanced budget based on the calculation as set out in the report;

(d)       That the open risks which remain to be managed in the 2022/23 financial year be noted;

(e)       That an overall annual increase in Council Tax for 2022/23 of 3.3% for Council Services and 0.65% for contributions to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Regional Coroners Service and Regional Education Consortium GwE – an overall uplift of 3.95%, be recommended to Council;

(f)        That an additional £3.250m be transferred from the Contingency Reserve to the Emergency Reserve to safeguard against the ongoing financial risks of the pandemic in 2022/23;

(g)       That Council be invited to pass the formal Council Tax resolution now that notification of the precepts of the Police and Crime Commissioner and all town and community councils within Flintshire had been received; and

(h)       That the medium-term forecast as a basis for the next revision of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) be noted.