Agenda item

Report No: PAS/WS/20/010

The Service Manager (Finance and Resources) presented Report No: PAS/WS/20/010, which showed the final performance and financial outturn position for West Suffolk Council for the year 2018-2019.  Attached to the report were a number of appendices, as follows:

-      Appendix A: Performance Indicators – Commentary

-      Appendix B: Performance Indicators – Growth

-      Appendix C: Performance Indicators – Families and Communities

-      Appendix D: Performance Indicators – Housing

-      Appendix E: Performance Indicators – Day to Day

-      Appendix F: Income and Expenditure Report

-      Appendix G: Capital Programme

-      Appendix H: Earmarked Reserves

-      Appendix I: Strategic Risk Register

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK, a number of events had occurred which had had a significant impact on West Suffolk Council’s financial position.  Some of these had been restrictions imposed by Government that had affected West Suffolk Council’s investments and services; and others had been announcements of Government financial support.  This report presented performance for the financial year 2019-2020 up to 31 March 2020.  Therefore, only 8 days of the impact of the lock-down announced on 23 March 2020 were included in the report.  The financial impact of Covid-19 had been separated out where possible to provide context to the outturn position.

Funding had been received from central government in 2020-2021 to contribute towards the costs borne as a result of Covid-19.  Therefore, the deficit driven by Covid-19 in 2019-2020 would be funded through the Strategic Priority and Medium-Term Financial Strategy reserve at year end and would be restored by the funding in 2020-2021.  The underlying deficit would be funded from the General Fund.

Members considered the report and asked questions of the Assistant Directors on their indicators, to which comprehensive responses were provided.  Discussions were held on households in temporary accommodation and debt over 90 days, and whether this would worsen due to Covid-19.  

In particular, detailed discussions were held on:

Appendix C: (Number of fly-tipping incidents recorded in West Suffolk and Number of actions to combat fly-tipping West Suffolk)

Members noted that the figure had slightly gone up but wished to congratulate and thank officers with the amount of action they were doing to tackle the issues through the various preventative initiatives carried out over the year.;

Appendix E: (% response rate to annual canvass of electors) – Members questioned whether the target should be higher as members felt we should always be pushing to do even better.

Members were informed that due to a General Election being called, the Council was unable to complete its canvass activities.  The Council usually performs well in excess of the target, usually around 97-98%.

Moving forward the Council would be going into a period of canvass reform and would therefore be approaching canvassing in a very different way, with the intention of ensuring the electoral register was as complete and as up to date as possible.   

Appendix E: (% collection of Council Tax and Business Rates) – Members noted that both targets were green, reporting over 100% achieved, and asked how the targets were set.

Members were informed that the targets were set by the Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) and were based on what the Council set out in cash terms in its general fund budget in order to deliver the service.  Any monies collected from prior years was also included in the target, which meant you could end up with more cash collection than was needed due to a multiple year collection.  In year collection was on target.

Appendix E: (Car park income) – Members noted that car park income had dropped due to Covid-19 and asked whether fees from Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) would be included in future reporting of car parking income.

Members were informed that the reporting on CPE figures, which came into effect on 1 April 2020 would be reported separately to the car park income indicator for 2020-2021 onwards.

There being no decision required, the Committee noted the 2019-2020 Performance Report – Year End Outturn.