Issue - meetings

Draft Budget Proposals - 2025/26 to 2029/30

Meeting: 30/01/2025 - Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee (Item 52)

52 Draft Budget Proposals - 2025/26 to 2029/30 pdf icon PDF 691 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Finance and Resources, which had been referred direct by the Cabinet from the meeting held on 13 January 2025.

 

The report presented the draft budget proposals for 2025/26 to 2029/30 and illustrated over the medium term how the Council’s revenue and capital resources were being prioritised to respond to increasing demand and unavoidable cost pressures for the delivery of key statutory services. 

 

The Committee asked a number of questions which were responded to by the relevant Cabinet members, highlights included:

 

·       How many voluntary redundancies were expected. (net position 13, 21 voluntary redundancies and 7 additional roles).

·       The outcomes of the in-depth children’s services review (internal officer led deep-dive in children’s social care cases, significant volume of spend goes to new brokerage team to ensure value for money)

·       Another in-depth review would be undertaken of children’s services by a number of Cabinet Members and senior officers to understand where the high costs were coming from and identify why children were coming into care.

·       The volume of debt to Essex County Council and how long it would take to pay this back.

·       Why electric vehicle charging had been deferred in the budget (work not mature enough for this budget reporting, although work had been progressed).

·       The settlement for supporting the cost of the national insurance contributions.

·       Estate efficiencies (EAP-01) – staff disproportionately impacted by a change in their workplace location.

·       The £350,000 proposed saving in relation to the Connected Southend Transformation focused care package review (SOC-02) and how this could disproportionately affect the most vulnerable with the top 10% and bottom 10% cost profile.

·       The estimated cost of National Insurance and Living Wage contributions and cost differential between the estimated government settlement (settlement details expected to be released in February 2025).

 

The Leader of the Council confirmed that Cabinet would consider the views of the Committee in respect of the following matters, in proposing the Council’s General Fund Revenue Budget for 2025/26 for adoption by the Council at its meeting to be held on 20 February 2025.

 

The relevant Cabinet Members undertook to provide written responses to questions raised by members of the Committee with regard to:

 

·       A breakdown of the additional National Insurance and Living Wage contributions for the Council’s wholly owned companies and the total exposure for the local authority. (Councillor D Cowan).

·       What projects were earmarked for the £1.238 million spend under the Climate Change provision, to deliver suitable projects aimed at reducing the impact of climate change and support the Council’s aspirations to achieve net zero emissions by 20230 in line with the Climate Emergency Declaration (Councillor P Collins).

 

At 9.25pm the Chair advised the Committee that the meeting was approaching the 3-hour time limit. In accordance with Overview and Procedure rule 2.48 of Part 5 section 2 of the Council Constitution, the Committee decided by a simple unanimous vote to extend the meeting for a period of up to 30 minutes to 10.00pm.

 

Councillor T Cox proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52


Meeting: 13/01/2025 - Cabinet (Item 6.)

Draft Budget Proposals 2025/26 to 2029/30

Report of Executive Director (Finance and Resources) to follow

Additional documents:


 

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