Agenda and minutes

Fiona Earl, Principal Accountant, to report.

-           to note the position as at the end of November, 2008.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by the Principal Accountant, detailing the performance against the revenue budget for the Environment and Development Services Directorate as at the end of November 2008, together with a forecast outturn for the whole of the 2008/09 financial year.

Members’ attention was drawn to the following key areas of pressure:-

-                      Energy cost pressures

-                      Planning fee income under-recovery

-                      Street cleansing

Reference was also made to key savings identified to partially offset the pressures and to other measures being taken within the Directorate to reduce the overspend.

It was reported that funding in respect of the energy cost pressures had been requested through the Council’s ‘Revised Estimates’ process as this could not be contained by the Directorate’s savings alone.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the forecast outturn position of an overspend of £820,000 for the Environment & Development Services Directorate, based on expenditure and income as at November 2008, be noted.

(2)  That it be noted that the combination of the energy cost price increase and the net shortfall on Planning Service fee income budgets in this financial year primarily represent the total of the overspend.

(3)  That the report be referred to the Regeneration Scrutiny Panel for information.