Issue - meetings

Report No: CAB/WS/20/024

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton

Chair of the Committee: Cllr Ian Houlder   Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020 - as part of the budget setting process)

That the proposals detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 of Report No: PAS/WS/20/002, be included in securing a balanced budget for 2020/2021 and the medium-term financial plans.

(Report No: CAB/WS/20/024)

The Cabinet considered this report which explained that the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee had agreed the principles and approach for delivering a balanced budget in 2020/2021 and a medium-term financial plan for the years up to 2023/2024.

Workshops had taken place during August to December 2019, alongside a detailed “line-by-line” review of each service cost base to ensure that budgets were only set for planned and understood expenditure, which had then been considered by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee in November 2019.

At their meeting on 30 January 2020, the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee were updated on the workshops and line-by-line reviews which had now concluded and any further proposed changes in cost and income assumptions, as a result had been included in Table 1 of Report No: PAS/WS/20/002.  Section 2 of Report No: PAS/WS/20/002 also set out information with regards to the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement and the New Homes Bonus.

Having taken the current and future financial pressures and challenges facing West Suffolk into account, including the budget gap, budget assumptions, proposed timetable and the methodology for securing a balanced budget for 2020-2024, the Cabinet considered that the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations were acceptable for incorporating into the final budget proposals for 2020/2021 and in the medium term financial plan for the years up to 2023/2024.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020 - as part of the budget setting process)

That the proposals detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 of Report No: PAS/WS/20/002, be included in securing a balanced budget for 2020/2021 and the medium-term financial plans.