Tabled update for Appendix 2 added 24.11.2022.

The Director of Resources introduced the report which set out the draft 2023/24 revenue and capital budgets and the draft Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).  There was a tabled update for Appendix 2.  She explained that there was a £2m budget gap, and there were still some uncertainties set out within the report, which could not be confirmed until 21 December 2022 when the Provisional Settlement was announced.  The Director of Resources outlined the delay in the business rate position, and said there would need to be an increase in fees and charges.  Council Tax would increase from 1.99% to 2.99%.  She gave an overview of the appendices within the report.  There would be a six- week consultation and a further budget report would be submitted to the Policy and Resources Committee and Full Council in February 2023.

In the discussion that followed, Members made points which included:

·         Considered the wording in paragraph 3.1 should be amended so that it did not look like the consultation was only open for the business community;

·         was the 55% percent response to the staff survey on pay and potential savings disappointing?;

·         considered there was a lack of detail on grants to third party organisations;

·         concerned with the cut to parish grants;

·         the increase in car parking charges to 65p, where people were unlikely to have a 5p coin, made it difficult for people paying by cash and the machines not giving change made this unfair to customers;

·         against the increase in burial charges;

·         hire of sports facilities should be frozen so that more people could be encouraged to use the facilities;

·         acknowledged the difficult decisions that had to be made;

·         in terms of the staff survey, it was important that the suggested option of reduced hours was a genuine reduction;

·         the report indicated a good and clear position on the information the Council knew so far;

·         it might be worth officers doing some preliminary work on the way it looked as though the Council Tax rate was going;

·         considered there should have been more detail in the report on the staff survey and the consequences of reduced hours; and

·         a reduction in staff hours could mean that projects took longer to complete.

In response, the Director of Resources explained that the consultation was open to everyone borough-wide and the wording could be changed to reflect this.  The Chief Executive explained that the response rate to the staff survey was an acceptable return.  The Director of Resources explained that there was direct consultation to bodies with discretionary grants and this could be broken down into more detail, once the consultation had taken place.

The Chief Executive gave an overview of the options within the recent survey on staff pay and potential savings.  With options of increased salaries, resulting in reduced staff and fewer people to do the job, or reduced hours and endeavouring to keep as many people as possible, it was a difficult choice. A reduction in staff numbers impacted the Council’s services.  She added that the Council was trying to be as resilient as possible.

Councillor Derek Carnell proposed the recommendations and these were seconded by Councillor Tim Gibson.

Resolved:

(1)      That the draft 2023/24 revenue and capital budget forecasts be noted.

(2)      That the Medium-Term Financial Strategy be noted.

(3)      That the proposals for the fees and charges increase be noted.

(4)      That the proposed budget consultation be approved.