Issue - meetings

The Council considered the Revenue Budget and Capital Budget papers as contained within the budgeting pack; considered such other appropriate resolutions in relation to these papers and fixed the Council Tax for the year to 31 March 2017 which had been referred without recommendation by the Policy and Resources Committee held on 11 February 2015.  There was tabled an amended page 270 of the Revenue Budget Pack which was referred to by the Head of Strategic Finance in her presentation of the Budgeting Packs.

 

The Leader of the Council proposed the following which was unanimously agreed by the Council –

 

 “Provost. I move that as is the Council’s normal approach to setting the budget that all budget proposals to be put to this meeting should clearly detail how they will be funded and that any amendment to the budget proposals I am about to propose should clearly detail how such changes would be funded ”.

 

Motion

 

The Council:

 

1.    Notes the Revenue Budget Monitoring position as at 31^st December 2015;

2.    Notes the findings of the Planning our Future consultation which have been taken into account in the preparation of the budget proposals;

3.    Notes that Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) have been carried out and notes the subsequent detail in the report on Assessing Equality Impact;

4.    Notes the Financial Risk Analysis as set down in the Revenue Budget Pack;

5.    Notes the funding gap of £10.052m within the Revenue Budget estimates;

6.    Approves the Revenue Budget estimates for 2016/17 as set out in the Revenue Budget Overview report, subject to the following:

Further savings

·         Reduce elected members cost centre                                               £150,000

·         20% savings in staff travel budgets across all council services        £235,000

·         10% saving in staff overtime across all council services                   £158,000

·         Increase vacancy savings target                                                        £310,000

·         Increase council tax base                                                                   £200,000

·         Remove additional monies previously allocated for Unitary

charge for 2016/17                                                                              £500,000

·         1% pay inflation saving as a result of savings options                         £26,000

·         Management savings, with Chief Executive to bring forward

a report to members on proposals for implementation                        £95,000

                                                                        Total                            £1.674m

7.    Notes that management/operational savings of £1.044m will be taken forward as part of normal business;

8.    Notes the revised funding gap of £7.334m as a result of the above adjustments;

9.    Approves the following and further policy options to balance the budget;

·         Adjustment to social work budget ( saving )                                       £990,000

·         Social work cost pressures arising since 2015/16

being met by IJB                                                                                 £551,000

·         Additional 3% to the Council’s income-generating fees and

charges to total 6% each year, apart from the general

increase exceptions outlined in the Revenue Budget

Overview report.                                                                                 £610,000

 

10.   Rejects the following savings options totaling £1.402m:

1.    EDUC05g Reduce subsidy payments to community swimming pools

2.    EDUC07a Reduce primary school classroom assistants by 20%

3.    EDUC07d Reduce primary school janitor costs by 20%

4.    EDUC07k Stop lunch payments for primary school supervision staff

5.    EDUC08a Reduce secondary school classroom assistants by 20%

6.    EDUC08c Reduce secondary school janitor costs by 20%

7.    EDUC08g Reduce school technician costs by 20%

8.    EDUC08k Stop lunch payments for secondary school supervision staff

9.    CC02a Reduce Adult Learning/Literacies service availability

10.  CSS02k End discretionary non-domestic rates relief for charities

11.  FS03m Remove out of hours property emergency line cover

12.  FS04G Remove discretionary Community Transport Grant funding

13.  PRS04g Reduce debt counselling service to focus on complex cases

14.  RAMS01c Removal of hanging baskets

15.  RAMS01d Close 43 public conveniences across Argyll and Bute

16.  RAMS01f Replace annual bedding display with grass areas

17.  RAMS01k Reduce Environmental Warden Team

18.  RAMS01o Additional Roads and Amenity Service staff reduction

19.  RAMS02a Reduce coastal and flooding work budgets

20.  RAMS02b Reduce bridge assessment budget

21.  RAMS03c Reduce budget for road works/bridge repairs

22.  RAMS05d Removal of food waste collection, Helensburgh area

23.  SF01F Further review of Strategic Finance team

·         Value of options rejected - £1.402mm (68FTE jobs secured)

 

11.   Accepts in part or in full the savings options totalling £5.186m (82FTE) as follows, rejecting £0.809m (34FTE) through reduced levels of savings:

1.    SF01a Review of staffing structure within Strategic Finance

2.    CC02b Adult Literacies and Learning – reduce spend in areas based on needs assessment

3.    CC03a Reduce cost of combined community development and community planning teams

4.    CC03b Provide reduced amount of third sector grant funding – full saving in first year, with 10% in 17/18 and 10% in 18/19

5.    CC03c Introduce consistent management arrangements for four community centres

6.    CC05/1, CC05a, CC10a, CC11a, CC11a/1 Create a charitable leisure trust to bring together council owned community halls, libraries, swimming pools and fitness facilities

7.    CC06a Provide reduced level of funding support for events and festivals

8.    CC06b Offer Campbeltown Museum for community ownership

9.    CC006c Provide reduced level of funding for arts development

10.  CC08a Provide reduced level of funding to energy and mediation advice services where other opportunities are available and where there is less demand for service

11.  CC08b Align funding for rent deposit scheme to current demand

12.  CC08c Reduce budget for housing IT, strategy development and staff training following major work done in 2014/15

13.  CC08d Reduce staffing costs re promotion of housing information/capacity for partnership work

14.  CC08e Save council funds by transferring strategic staff costs to Strategic Housing Fund

15.  CC10b Reduce library management costs

16.  CC10c Saving of £50,000 on mobile library service

17.  CC12A Provide reduced level of funding for domestic abuse outreach support

18.  CC12b Provide reduced level of funding for tenancy support contracts

19.  EDUC01a Align disability access budget (for adaptations in education centres) with current demand following previous underspend

20.  EDUC01b Review Service Level Agreement for home and hospital tuition in line with previous demand

21.  EDUC01c Reduce education Quality Improvement Team materials budget

22.  EDUC01d Align specialist equipment budget with demand following previous underspend

23.  EDUC01e Reprioritise repairs and maintenance budget for Education HQ

24.  EDUC01h Manage cover for ASN assistants from within current devolved budget at individual schools

25.  EDUC01i Deliver  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4