Issue - meetings

February 2018/19 Financial Monitoring Report

Meeting: 15/04/2019 - Cabinet (Item 137)

137 February 2018/19 Financial Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 208 KB

Report of the Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Service

 

Recommendations:-

 

1.    That Cabinet:

 

i.      Note the forecast General Fund outturn position;

 

ii.    Note the actions being taken to reduce the forecast overspend;   

 

iii.   Note the updated capital programme 2018/19 to 2021/22;

 

iv.   Note the capital grant funded budget inclusions  ...  view the full agenda text for item 137

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which set out an improved financial position compared to that previously reported to Cabinet in February 2019. It was based on actual costs and income for 11 months of the financial year with forecasts for the final month of 2018/19.

 

Financial performance was a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 137


Meeting: 10/04/2019 - Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (Item 211)

211 February 2018-19 Financial Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 208 KB

Cabinet Portfolio:                 Corporate Services and Finance

Strategic Directorate:           Finance and Customer Services

Minutes:

Consideration was given a report submitted by the Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services which set out an improved financial position compared to that previously reported in February 2019. It was based on actual costs and income for eleven months of the financial year with forecasts for the final month of 2018/19. It was noted that financial performance was a key element within the assessment of the Council’s overall performance framework, and was essential for the achievement of the objectives within the Council’s policy agenda.

 

Members enquired as to approach adopted where savings were not achieved and how the budget would be balanced. In response, the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Finance indicated that the savings would have to be found from reserves.

 

Reference was made to the continued reduction in funding for Public Health, whose ring-fenced budget had reduced by a further £430k. In response, officers advised that when central government had issued four year provisional allocations, it also gave notice of the reductions in funding for Public Health. The next financial year would be the final year of the settlement and it would be reduced again by a similar amount.

 

The Board identified overspends in Legal Services and sought assurances from officers in respect of actions being taken to reduce the level of spend. In response, it was confirmed that a lot of recruitment was taking place for this service area following a restructure and there had been successful recruitment for a number solicitor positions which had reduced reliance on locums.

 

Reference was made to the overspend in Children and Young People’s Services, with a pressure of £15.7m based on numbers remaining stable. At the present, the number of looked after children stood at 645 and officers were invited to give a view as to how concerned they were that the numbers in the budget and the number of looked after children would reduce. In response, it was confirmed that the budget and the number of looked after children would be closely monitored in the new financial year. Reference was also made to the two year plan within the Children and Young People’s Services directorate to drive down costs and delivery against this would be analysed on a daily basis.

 

Resolved:-

 

1.    That the report be noted.

 

2.    That the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services be invited to a future meeting to provide details on the plans to deliver budget savings in that directorate.