To receive Report No. 146/2021 from Councillor K Payne, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and Performance, Change and Transformation

Report No. 146/2021 was received from Councillor K Payne, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Governance and Performance, Change and Transformation.  During the discussion, the following points were noted:

·        Councillors thanked Saverio Della Rocca, Strategic Director for Resources, Andrew Merry, Finance Manager and the finance team for all their hard work in producing all the clear, financial reports received for discussion.

·        The budget gap was previously identified as £2.7m.  Following a lot of hard work, this had been reduced to an estimated £250k.  A lot less than had been previously forecast.

·        Councillor Waller asked if this year’s success in cost cutting could be replicated in the years to come as budgets continued to be cut.  Councillor Payne stated that future budget savings could not be promised but that Council would continue to work hard to identify cost savings.  However, there would be hard decisions to be made in the future.

·        Councillor Ainsley enquired if discussions had been held externally with other Local Authorities regarding cost savings.  Councillor Payne confirmed that the Council discussed options with other Councils all the time.  Councillor Payne also confirmed that she was in discussions with the Chief Executive and the Leader regarding working with other Unitary authorities to discuss ideas and joint working.

·        Councillor Ainsley enquired about Jules House.  Councillor Payne confirmed that a property asset review was being undertaken.  The report would be due in late January 2022 and this would identify any proposals for the use of Jules House.

·        Councillor Payne informed the committee that all Portfolio Holders were committed to reducing current costs and costs in the future.

·        Councillor Oxley enquired about projects, community allocations and the sharing of costs.    Councillor Hemsley confirmed that he was in discussion with Uppingham Town Council regarding the funding of the toilets in Uppingham but was awaiting the results of the property asset review before making any decisions.

·        Councillor Brown queried the 9% increase in residual waste tonnage in 2021/22, the 72% increase in wood non-domestic waste and the extra £160k in costs (page 26).  Penny Sharp, Strategic Director – Places reported that the waste increases were related to the Covid lockdown as people had stayed at home with increased DIY and online shopping.

·        Councillor Brown also queried what discussions had been held with central government regarding funding. Councillor Payne confirmed that a meeting would be arranged with Neil O’Brien MP for Harborough and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss funding.

·        Councillor Hemsley informed attendees that discussions had been held with the Unitary Councils Network regarding raising the profile of small and unitary councils and that he had also attended the Rural Services Network AGM.  Councillor Payne confirmed that she would produce a plan of all work/discussion to be undertaken regarding funding.

RESOLVED

That the Committee:

a)     NOTED the revenue forecast at the end of September per para 3.3

b)     NOTED the changes to the approved budget as per para 3.1 and Appendix A

c)     NOTED that the projected deficit for 22/23 was estimated to be £580k which was less than the £1m target set by Council in February 2021

d)     NOTED that the revenue budget outlook beyond 22/23 remained challenging with the financial gap estimated between £1.7 - £2.8m.

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Councillor Stephenson left the meeting at 7.40 p.m.

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