Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

CAB202/21

To Receive any Declarations of Interest and Notification of any Dispensations Granted

You are invited to verbally declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

 

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation in relation to any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

 

 

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations reported.

CAB203/21

2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget Process: Consideration of Overview and Scrutiny's Response to the Cabinet's Final Budget Proposals pdf icon PDF 194 KB

To consider any recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Budget Study Group following their review of the Cabinet’s 2021/22 final budget proposals.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report was received which presented the recommendations of the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee and Budget Scrutiny Sub-group in relation to Cabinet’s final budget proposals as part of the 2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget Process.

 

The Budget Scrutiny sub-group had met on 17 December 2020 where the Head of Resources and Senior Officers had presented the 2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget Process: Cabinet’s Initial Budget proposals.  A further meeting had taken place on 12 January 2021 where it had received updated information on the level of central government funding for the Authority.

 

The sub-group had reported its views to the Overview, Scrutiny & Policy Development Committee at its meeting on the 18 January 2021, which had then been considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 1 February 2021.

 

The Overview, Scrutiny & Policy Development Committee at its meeting on 18 January 2021, had given delegation to the Budget Scrutiny sub-group to make any further recommendations to Cabinet as a result of its meeting on 2 February 2021. 

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, in introducing the report, invited Councillor S Graham, Chair of the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, to present the views of the Committee and the sub-group from its meetings held as part of the 2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget Process. 

 

Councillor Graham highlighted a number of the points made by members of the Budget Sub-group during their discussions. In particular, there were two themes that the Committee had considered needed to be emphasised further as set out in the report. There were no recommendations made in relation to Cabinet’s engagement approach or the initial Budget proposals for the General Fund, HRA, the 2021-2026 Investment Plan and the 2021/22 Treasury Management Statement and Annual Investment Strategy.

 

No further recommendations had been raised by the sub-group from its meeting held on 2 February 2021. 

 

The recommendations referred to Cabinet by the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee and the proposed response for Cabinet to consider were as follows:

 

 Recommendations

Cabinet’s Response

Recommendation 1:

The level of strategic reserve is reported each year and the Budget Scrutiny sub-group is provided with a comprehensive explanation to the levels of committed/ringfenced funds for future use.  The Committee raised that there continues to be some misunderstanding with residents and the press as it is often reported that the Council has access to an extensive level of reserves.

 

The Committee’s recommendation was that the levels and use of the strategic reserve be more widely explained to the public.

 

Noted.

 

During the Budget-setting process the Authority has issued a number of press releases which provide additional information in relation to the use and level of reserves. 

 

In addition to this, a Budget update will be included in the next edition of the Our North Tyneside Magazine which will cover the use of and level of reserves to ensure there is sufficient information for the residents of North Tyneside to gain further insight and understanding.

 

The level and use of reserves have  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB203/21

CAB204/21

Date and Time of Next Meeting

Monday 22 February 2021 at 6.00pm.

Minutes:

6.00pm on Monday 22 February 2021.