Agenda item

A proposed draft 2022/23 revenue budget and capital programme was presented. This explained that, due to current capacity constraints, a pragmatic approach had been taken regarding the distribution of pressures and savings to achieve a balanced budget position for 2022/23, namely:

Tranche 1 – savings and pressures which were straightforward to allocate (Appendix B).

Tranche 2 – those requiring more time to allocate correctly to each committee, including £367k of pressures (£193k of staffing increments and £174k of contract inflation) plus savings of £200k regarding staff vacancies. These were being held as ‘corporate items’ pending consideration during the next cycle of committee meetings.

Tranche 3 – the more complex cross-cutting savings totalling £450k, which would require service reviews and business cases to ensure accurate distribution to committees.  The recently established Benefits Board would oversee this process to ensure that the benefits were being defined, owned and delivered.  These budgeted savings were being held as ‘corporate items’ pending consideration during the June cycle of committee meetings.

In response to questions during the debate, Officers explained that:

·           reference in the covering report to a loss of rental income from Redstone House should be read in light of the fact that:

-       the property is being marketed for sale and already vacant;

-       retention of the property would entail costly maintenance liabilities 

·           the cessation of funding for the Westway Centre was in accordance with the terms of the lease to the CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) and officers were working proactively with trustees to enable them to access grant funding from other sources and generate rental income by sub-letting parts of the premises.

Regarding the recommendation to increase rentals for plots and garages at the Meadowside mobile homes park by 4.1% (in line with HRA rents for Council tenants) Councillor Morrow, seconded by Councillor Steeds, moved an amendment that the increase be capped at 2%, with the £468k revenue budget for the Housing General Fund being increased accordingly. Arguments for and against this amendment were discussed. Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was lost on the Chair’s casting vote.          

            R E S O L V E D – that:

A.     the Committee’s draft General Fund revenue budget for 2022/23 of £468k, as shown in Appendix B, taking account of pressures and savings allocated as part of Tranche 1 be agreed, and it be noted that that a further two tranches of pressures and savings currently held in corporate items on behalf of other Committees will be distributed over the coming months;

B.     the Housing Committee’s General Fund draft capital programme for 2022/23 in the sum of £460k for 2022/23, as shown in Appendix C, be agreed;

C.     the subjective revenue budgets in Appendix D, including movements from 2020/21 to 2022/23 and an estimated movement to 2023/24, be noted;

D.    it be noted that, due to timing and capacity constraints across the Council, c£0.7m of savings (as part of a £1.1m savings programme) and c£0.4m of pressures could not be allocated in time for the January and February committee cycle and, as such, will be allocated in three tranches as follows: