Issue - meetings

As recommended by the Commissioners on 27^th February, 2015.

Recorded Vote.

Further to Minute No. 5 of the meeting of the Commissioners’ held on 27th February, 2015 consideration was given to the proposed Revenue Budget for 2015/16 based on the outcome of the Council’s Financial Settlement.

The Leader of the Council outlined the budget proposals following a series of successive budget cuts and which required a further £23 million in savings.

The large majority of the savings proposed did not come directly from frontline services, but subjecting local Councils to further cuts was not sustainable, but the task was to deliver on the priorities of the public with a greatly diminished resource to drive forward the change that was needed.

Top of the priority list was Children’s Safeguarding, which not only protected the core but increased funding in three key areas:-

·                £234,000 for the development of outreach youth work based provision to engage with young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation.

·                £390,000 for additional, permanent, social workers to make sure children at risk are seen by Children’s Services as quickly as possible.

·                £200,000 additional support for Child Sexual Exploitation victims and survivors.

£125,000 of short term funding announced after the Jay Report, was allocated to a number of local charities to increase capacity quickly to provide some of the support that victims and survivors need.  Within this budget the amount would be increased and mainstreamed to help to provide increased certainty over the coming months and years.

The funding would be allocated based on the needs analysis currently being conducted and informed by the views and experiences of victims and survivors themselves.

Local third sector groups were being encouraged to bid for further grant funding from the Government, but this was no substitute for the measures being proposed. 

To partly fund the measures above, it was proposed that Council Tax rise by 1.95% and amounted to 31p per week for the average Rotherham household in Band A.

To offset the potentially substantial one-off costs arising from the Jay Report a £8.4 million “Transformation Reserve” was proposed in order to meet these potential costs.

As the Government grants declined, the Council was increasingly dependent on retained business rates and reducing costs by helping people back to work.  It was, therefore, proposed that:-

1.      No revenue budget cuts to Economic Development staff.

2.      To continue as a Living Wage employer to 1,500 Council staff, subject to agreement from the Commissioners.

3.      To continue to provide Council Tax Support to ensure that those on the very lowest incomes continued to receive a 91.5% discount.

4.      To maintain a Local Welfare Fund for those in real financial crisis situations.

The choices being proposed would prevent net job losses.

In response to views of residents about litter, it was proposed to restore £200,000 of funding to Streetpride to address basic issues of weeds and litter.

The capital budget proposals would also see an extra £5 million spent on road maintenance and resurfacing over the coming two years and doubles the existing planned expenditure, and should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109

-           Strategic Director of Resources and Transformation to report.