Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Weeks, Hughes, and Milne.

To receive any declarations of pecuniary interest.

There were no declarations of interests relating to matters on the agenda.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 2 December 2020 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Prior to consideration by Cabinet on 16 February 2022 and Council on 23 February 2022 the Committee is invited to scrutinise and make comments on the draft budget.

CAN COUNCILLORS PLEASE SUBMIT ANY DETAILED QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM TO THE CONTACT OFFICER BY 9AM ON MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2022.

(For the purposes of this review, the Chairman had invited members of the Audit and Finance Committee to attend the meeting to ask questions but not take part in the debate or vote)

The Cabinet Lead for Finance introduced the draft budget for 2022/23 by outlining the context within which the budget was drafted and gave a summary of the proposals for next year.

The Leader of the Council explained how the budget would help fulfil the Council’s Corporate Strategy.

The Committee considered the submitted report on the draft budget and was also given an opportunity to ask questions and comment upon the draft budget proposals.

In response to questions raised by members of the Committee and members of the Audit and Finance Committee, it was noted that:

1.         a 5% reduction on costs had been achieved overall;

2.         some fees and charges had been bench marked and increased accordingly, while those related to sports facilities had not been increased;

3.         there were sufficient funds identified to pay for any costs associated with the termination of the Inter Authority Agreement, without using receipts intended to support the Borough’s regeneration; and

4.         the Committee could clearly identify incidents of cost in the draft budget that directly related to the Corporate Plan.

(Details of the questions and answers raised are set out as an appendix to these minutes)

The Committee advised that it was looking forward to seeing how the next phase of the Shaping our Future - transformation programme, would deliver further cost reductions through efficiency measures.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.