Minute No. 613 (Cabinet Books 2a and 2b, Agenda Item No. 6 refers)

Referred direct by Cabinet to Scrutiny

The Committee considered Minute 613 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 12 February 2023, which had been referred directly to the Committee for scrutiny, together with a report of the Executive Director (Finance and Resources) presenting the draft General Fund Revenue Budget and capital investment priorities for 2023/24.

 

The Leader of the Council confirmed that the Cabinet would consider the views of the Committee in respect of the following matters, in proposing the Council’s General Fund Revenue Budget for 2023/24 for adoption by the Council at its meeting to be held on 23 February 2023:

 

(a)            The dimming of street lights between the hours of 10.00pm and 6.00am (SOC-17).

(b)            The application of Council Tax Empty Property Relief for South Essex Homes (IGC-13).

(c)            The application of the convenience/transaction fee for the ‘Mobon’ car parking application (IGC-19).

(d)            The removal of free parking for councillors and whether this proposal would also apply to Honorary Aldermen of Southend-on-Sea (IGC-08).

(e)            The application of ‘free’ first hour parking at the Jones Memorial, Big Gunners, Little Gunners and Rayleigh Road car parks (IGC-12).

(f)             The increase in free parking at Chalkwell Park, Priory Park, Belfairs Park and Southchurch Park from two to three hours (IGC-17).

(g)            The reduction of councillor support arrangements (SOC-14), the move away from printed agenda etc. and the removal of the member courier service (SOC-06).

(h)            The reduction of the Corporate Training (Learning and Development) Budget (SOC-05).

(i)             The provision of funding for the Southend ‘NetPark’.

(j)             The reduction of the grass-cutting programme in non-residential areas (SOC-15).

 

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

 

(a)            In relation to proposed Cost Avoidance and Overspend Reduction Initiative SOC-17 (Street Light Dimming), the process undertaken in 2017 to authorise the reduction in the light output operation of street lights, where they were currently already being dimmed between the hours of 10.00pm and 6.00am.

 

(b)            The arrangements in respect of proposed Budget Savings and Income Generation Initiative IGC-06 (Parking Charging Times and Associated Enforcement) for ensuring that income generated from extended charging hours for pay and display parking in Zone 1(a) would be ring-fenced for the delivery of the Council’s transport strategies and objectives, and the level of additional income likely to be raised from the extended charging hours.

 

(c)            In relation to proposed Cost Avoidance and Overspend Reduction Initiative IGC-19 (Income Generation Capability), whether the card transaction fee for car parking payments made via the ‘Mobon’ pay by phone application, would also apply to the use of the ‘Southend Pass.’

 

(d)            The location of the operation of the proposed mobile food market van offering low-price food items to residents in deprived areas, the eligibility criteria for the use of the food van and arrangements for monitoring its success in the tackling of health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing outcomes for local people.

 

(e)            In relation to proposed Budget Savings and Income Generation Initiative IGC-08 (Remove Free Parking for Elected Members), whether the removal of the existing free of charge parking permit for councillors would also apply to Honorary Aldermen of Southend-on-Sea.

 

During consideration of the matter the hour of 10.00pm having been reached the Committee, in accordance with Standing Order 44.2, agreed to proceed with the remaining business on the agenda.

 

Resolved:

 

1.              That the following decisions of the Cabinet be noted:

 

“1. That it be noted that a detailed Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2023/24 – 2027/28 will be available for consideration in February 2023 and that the draft Medium Term Financial Forecast and estimated Earmarked Reserves Balances up to 2027/28 (Annexes 1 and 2 to Appendix 1 to the submitted report), be endorsed.

 

2.  That the draft Section 151 Officer’s statement on the robustness of the proposed budget, the adequacy of the Council’s reserves and the Council’s Reserves Strategy (Appendix 2 to the report), be noted.

 

3. That the appropriation of the sums to earmarked reserves totalling £0.706M (Appendix 3 to the report), be endorsed.

 

4. That the appropriation of the sums from earmarked reserves totalling £1.953M (Appendix 3 to the report), be endorsed.

 

5. That the use of £1M from the General Fund balances to support the core 2023/24 revenue budget which will be replenished over the life of the Medium Term Financial Plan (Annex 1 to Appendix 1 to the report), be endorsed.

 

6. That a General Fund Budget Requirement for 2023/24 of £143.875M and Council Tax Requirement of £97.499M (Appendix 4 to the report) and any required commencement of consultation, statutory or otherwise, be endorsed.

 

7. That it be noted that the 2023/24 revenue budget has been prepared on the basis of using £2M from accumulated Collection Fund surpluses to support the core budget and to allow for a smoothing of the budget gap.

 

8. That a Council Tax increase of 4.99% for the Southend-on-Sea element of the Council Tax for 2023/24, being 2.99% for general use and 2.00% for Adult Social Care, be endorsed.

 

9. That it be noted that the position of the Council’s preceptors is to be determined:

 

·       Essex Police – no indication of Council Tax position

·       Essex Fire & Rescue Services – no indication of Council Tax position

·       Leigh-on-Sea Town Council – proposed Band D precept decrease of 0.71%

 

10. That no Special Expenses be charged other than Leigh-on-Sea Town Council precept for 2023/24, be endorsed.

 

11. That the proposed General Fund revenue budget investment of £23.448M (Appendix 5 to the report), be endorsed.

 

12. That the proposed General Fund revenue budget savings and income generation initiatives for 2023/24 of £9.140M (Appendix 6a to the report), be approved.

 

13. That the proposed General Fund revenue cost avoidance and overspend reduction initiatives for 2023/24 of £1.628M (Appendix 6b to the report), be endorsed.

 

14. That the approach proposed for the development and implementation of a new transformation blueprint for the Council (Section 12) and to confirm the use of £1.5m from existing earmarked reserves over the next three years to support this programme of activity, be endorsed.

 

15. That the implementation of the new Adult Social Care Charging Policy from 1 April 2023 (Appendix 7 to the report), be endorsed.

 

16. That the proposed range of fees and charges for 2023/24 (Appendix 8 to the report), be endorsed.

 

17. That the Dedicated Schools Grant budget and its relevant distribution as recommended by the Education Board (Appendix 9 to the report), be endorsed.

 

18. That the Capital Investment Strategy for 2023/24 to 2027/28 (Appendix 10 to the report) and the Capital Investment Policy (Annex 1 to Appendix 10 to the report), be endorsed.

 

19. That the following be endorsed:

 

(i) new schemes and additions to the Capital Investment Programme for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28 totalling £16.1M (£3.6M for the General Fund and £12.5M for the Housing Revenue Account) (Appendix 11 to the report)

 

(ii) new schemes subject to viable business cases totalling £5.6M for the General Fund (Appendix 11 to the report).

 

20. That the proposed changes to the current Capital Investment Programme that were considered for approval as part of the Resourcing Better Outcomes – Financial Performance Report – Period 8 earlier on this agenda (Appendix 12 to the report), be noted.

 

21. That the proposed Capital Investment Programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28 of £116.0M to be delivered by the Council and £53.1M to be delivered by Subsidiary Companies, Partners and Joint Ventures (Appendix 13 to the report) of which £57.8M is supported by external funding, be endorsed.

 

22. That the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy for 2023/24 (Appendix 14 to the report) and the prudential indicators (Appendix 15 to the report), be endorsed.

 

23. That the operational boundary and authorised limits for borrowing for 2023/24 which are set at £390M and £400M respectively (Appendix 15 to the report), be endorsed.”

 

2.              That the following recommendations be considered by the Cabinet:

 

(a)            That in in relation to proposed Cost Avoidance and Overspend Reduction Initiative SOC-17 (Street Light Dimming), all street lights be returned to full light output operation where they are currently already being dimmed between the hours of 10.00pm and 6.00am, and that appropriate budget provision be made to facilitate the return of such street lights to full operation.

 

(b)            That in in relation to proposed Budget Savings and Income Generation Initiative IGC-13 (Council Tax Empty Property Relief), properties managed by South Essex Homes (SEH) be exempted from the provision of a 100% discount for newly empty properties for two weeks to cover the period in-between tenants and that the discount period for properties managed by SEH remain at one month.

 

Note: This is an Executive Function, save that approval of the final budget following Cabinet on 14 February 2023 is a Council Function

Cabinet Member: Councillors S George and P Collins