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Agenda item

2019/20 Budget and Council Tax Report

Report of the Interim Section 151 Officer.

Minutes:

4.1     Councillor Rachael Robathan, Cabinet Member for Finance, Property & Regeneration introduced the report highlighting that the budget sets out how over the next 12 months, the Council must achieve savings of c£36m to meet growing demand for services and further reductions in funding.

 

4.2     Dave Hodgkinson, Deputy Section 151 Officer, stated that the budget aligns with the Capital Strategy and is both robust and balanced. He referred to the draft cash limited budgets for each General Fund service with overall net expenditure for 2019/20 of £180.436m. He advised that the draft budget had been subject to thorough equality impact assessments and consultation where appropriate.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet recommended to full Council:

 

1.               that the local element of Council Tax for 2019/20 is increased by 2.1% (CPI inflation as at December 2018) for a Band D equivalent household;

 

2.               the 2019/20 budget, as set out in the report and recommend to the Council, the Tax levels as set out in the Council Tax resolution at Annex C to the report;

 

3.               that local element of Council Tax is increased by 2% in respect of the Adult Social Care Precept as permitted by Government and anticipated in their Core Spending Power assumptions; 

 

4.               that as a consequence of the 2.1% change in Council Tax and the 2% increase in the Adult Social Care precept, the local element for Band D properties be confirmed for 2019/20 as £433.34;

 

5.               that subject to their consideration of the previous recommendation, the Council Tax for the City of Westminster, excluding the Montpelier Square area and Queen’s Park Community Council, for the year ending 31 March 2020, be as specified in the Council Tax Resolution in Annex C to the Cabinet report (as may be amended).  That the Precepts and Special Expenses be as also specified in Annex C for properties in the Montpelier Square and Queen’s Park Community Council;

 

6.               that the Council Tax be levied accordingly and that officers be authorised to alter the Council Tax Resolution as necessary following the final announcement of the Greater London Authority precept;

 

7.               that the Council approves the budget proposals presented to Council on 7 November 2018 which were approved in principle pending the completion of relevant external consultations as outlined in Paragraph 10.17 of the report.

 

8.               that the views of the Budget and Performance Task Group set out in Annex A of the report be considered as required;

 

9.               that the draft cash limited budgets for each General Fund service with overall net expenditure for 2019/20 of £180.436m (as set out in Schedule 3 of the report) be noted;

 

10.           that the Section 151 officer be required to submit regular reports as necessary on the implementation of the savings proposals and on the realisation of pressures and mitigations as part of the regular budget monitoring reports;

 

11.           that the Section 151 officer be delegated responsibility for any technical adjustments required to be made to the budget (in line with the Council’s Financial Regulations);

 

12.           that the cost of inflation, pressures and contingency be issued to service budgets if and when the need materialises, to the limits as contained within Schedule 4d signed off by the Section 151 officer;

 

13.           that the views of consultees and consultation approach, as set out in section 10 of the report, be considered by Council;

 

14.           the Council continues as previously agreed to make recurrent additional £4m contributions as part of the on-going annual contributions as set out in paragraph 7.6 of the report;

 

15.           that the previously approved use of new capital receipts be used under the freedoms of the Flexible Capital Receipts regulations be used to fund revenue expenditure on City Hall, Digital Programme and Pension Deficit Recovery programmes which lead to future ongoing savings (and subject to review at year end to determine the actual costs, savings and financing by the Section 151 officer) be recommended to Council for approval;

 

16.           that the proposed use of new capital receipts be used under the freedoms of the Flexible Capital Receipts regulations to finance future revenue expenditure on other relevant and applicable programmes which arise in the future during the duration of the regulations and which lead to ongoing savings (and subject to review at year end to determine the actual costs, savings and financing by the Section 151 officer);

 

17.           that the Section 151 officer be delegated responsibility to transfer any potential surplus Business Rates revenue into a reserve to mitigate the potential impact of business rates volatility and to support future years’ revenue budgets;

 

18.           that to the extent that the Council is unable to mitigate the CCG funding reductions through novating contracts across to the NHS, through service contracts coming to the end of their natural term, or through allocation from the social care support grant or business rates levy grant, then Council reserves may be used in 2019/20 to offset the pressure and balance the Council’s budget;

 

19.           the Council continues the Westminster Community Contribution to allow the most expensive (Band H) properties in the city to voluntarily contribute towards supporting discretionary services that support the three priorities of youth services, helping rough sleepers off the streets and helping people who are lonely and isolated; 

 

20.           that the Equality Impact Assessments included in Annex B to the report be received and noted to inform the consideration of the budget after approval; and

 

Reasons for Decision

 

1.       The preparation of the budget is the final stage of the annual business planning cycle leading to the approval of the Council Tax for the forthcoming financial year. There is a statutory requirement to set a balanced budget and submit budget returns to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).  Approval of the revenue estimates constitutes authority for the incurring of expenditure in accordance with approved policies.

 

2.               It should be noted that a set of budget proposals were presented to Cabinet in October 2018 and then to Council in November 2018, this offered an early opportunity to note and approve budget changes in principle for 2019/20. These proposals were assessed at the time as to whether they required consultations and equality impact assessments (EIA). Completed EIAs were made available to all members.

 

Supporting documents: