:
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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 31st 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
:
BUDGETING PACK
To consider, and if so minded, make recommendation to Council in respect of -
:
: