Agenda item

The Leader of the Council introduced this report which set out the recommendations of Cabinet for Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2018/19 and sets out the recommendations for setting the 2018/19 Council Tax.  In summary the Council’s updated Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as reported to Cabinet indicated a forecast budget shortfall of £1.696m for 2018/19.  The Council had a duty to deliver a balanced budget.

 

Cabinet proposed an increase in council tax for 2018/19 of £5.00 per month from the 2017/18 amount.  This represented an increase of 2.70 percent from 2017/18.  Detailed recommendations were set out in Appendix A of the report.    Appendix B set out the proposed Revenue Budget for 2018/19.  A summary of additional income, additional expenditure and loss of income and new pressures was given in the report.

 

A summary of savings and funding strategies to bridge the £1.696m gap had been identified and agreed with managers and were given at Appendix C.

 

A review of the Council’s Balances and Reserves together with a risk assessment had been carried out. Details were given in Appendices D and E.  The MTFS and budget proposals had been scrutinised by the Finance, Resources and Partnerships Scrutiny Committee. 

 

The Capital Programme for 2018/19 was given in Appendix F of the report.

 

The Executive Director of Resources and Support Services and his team were thanked for the work that had been put into the preparation of the Budget.

 

The Labour Group proposed additional recommendations for the budget, which would be debated and voted upon separately:

 

First proposed amendment:

 

Proposed by Councillor Stubbs and seconded by Councillor Kearon.

 

That Council considers creating targeted one off ‘seed’ funding to create three new financial provisions that directly benefit all parts of the Borough. To stimulate footfall in Newcastle Town Centre, Council proposes to allocate an additional £5K for use by the Newcastle BID Team to provide free parking for its successful, and ever widening, series of Town Centre events.

Council further pledges to allocate £5K to “Go Kidsgrove”, the community interest company setup to support not only the traders of Kidsgrove Town Centre, but to rekindle the community spirit within the wider Parish. This financial backing should be synchronised with that of the local Town Council so that every penny is best utilised for the betterment of each Kidsgrove resident.

Finally, Council will show its support for the newly proposed Borough Investment Fund, with an initial injection of £5K. The Borough Investment Fund is a long-term facility created to capture a meaningful proportion of all land sales throughout the Borough, ring-fenced for the provision / re-provision of facilities and services for our residents. Council welcomes the Leaders support of the re-provision of Leisure Facilities in Kidsgrove and takes this first step to support this effort with the first cash allocation to the scheme.

Council understands that these are austere times and therefore does not look to reduce any service with this cash allocation. Therefore, Council will reallocate £15K for the purpose of the new provisions from the Budget Support Fund, mindful that the £15K could be reallocated, as a last resort, should the end of year accounts be in deficit to the FULL value of the Budget Support Fund.

 

The amendment was debated and a named vote was requested:

 

ALLPORT	YES	HOLLAND	NO	SIMPSON	YES
ASTLE	ABSENT	HUCKFIELD	NO	SNELL	APOLOGIES
BAILEY	ABSTAIN	JOHNSON	NO	SPENCE	YES
BEECH	YES	JONES	YES	STUBBS	YES
BLOOR	NO	KEARON	YES	SWEENEY	NO
BURGESS	YES	LOADES	NO	J TAGG	NO
COOPER	NO	MANCEY	NO	S TAGG	NO
MISS COOPER	NO	MATTHEWS	NO	TURNER	YES
DILLON	YES	NAYLON	NO	WALKLATE	YES
DYMOND	YES	NORTHCOTT	NO	J WARING	NO
EAGLES	YES	OLSZEWSKI	APOLOGIES	P WARING	DEC INTEREST
FEAR	NO	OWEN	NO	G WHITE	NO
FOX-HEWITT	YES	PANTER	NO	S WHITE	NO
FRANKISH	NO	PARKER	ABSENT	I WILKES	APOLOGIES
GARDNER	YES	PICKUP	YES	G WILLIAMS	YES
L HAILSTONES	NO	PROCTOR	NO	J WILLIAMS	DEC INTEREST
P HAILSTONES	APOLOGIES	REDDISH	YES	WINFIELD	YES
HAMBLETON	YES	ROBINSON	YES	WING	APOLOGIES
HARPER	NO	ROUT	YES	WOOLLEY	NO
HEESOM	NO	SHENTON	APOLOGIES	WRIGHT	YES

 

In Favour - 23

Against - 26

Abstain – 1

 

The amendment therefore fell.

 

 

Councillor Parker now in attendance.

 

 

Second proposed amendment:

 

Proposed by Councillor Turner and seconded by Councillor Spence:

 

Over the last five years, despite crippling budgetary restrictions, this Authority has always placed a premium on its Homelessness Service and the essential work it provides across the Borough. Council therefore, wishes to continue to uphold this principle by increasing the available funds for this Department taking it closer to a £400K budget, currently £396,530.

Council also understands the true value of its Mayor, not only the Chairperson of our Council Chamber, but the figurehead of the Authority across the Borough representing all of us from Mow Cop through to Loggerheads. Council understands though, that due to the nature of financial cuts across Local Government, we must analyse every line of our budget and therefore proposes that the 25% reduction to the Mayoral & Deputy Allowance be extended to a £10K Cap on the Mayoral Allowance and £2.5K Cap on the Deputy Mayor Allowance.

All additional funds raised by this proposal should be ring fenced and added to the Homelessness Service, sending a clear message as to its priorities for the residents of Newcastle under Lyme. Council also proposes that any increase to the Mayoral Allowance be removed from the NJC Scale Point system and placed in the hands of the Independent Body formed to make recommendations on Councillors Allowances.

 

 

 

The amendment was debated and a named vote was requested:

 

Councillors’ Paul Waring and John Williams’ declarations of interest related to the first proposed amendment only.

 

ALLPORT	YES	HOLLAND	NO	SIMPSON	YES
ASTLE	ABSENT	HUCKFIELD	NO	SNELL	APOLOGIES
BAILEY	YES	JOHNSON	NO	SPENCE	YES
BEECH	YES	JONES	YES	STUBBS	YES
BLOOR	NO	KEARON	YES	SWEENEY	NO
BURGESS	YES	LOADES	NO	J TAGG	NO
COOPER	NO	MANCEY	NO	S TAGG	NO
MISS COOPER	NO	MATTHEWS	NO	TURNER	YES
DILLON	YES	NAYLON	NO	WALKLATE	ABSTAIN
DYMOND	YES	NORTHCOTT	NO	J WARING	NO
EAGLES	YES	OLSZEWSKI	APOLOGIES	P WARING	NO
FEAR	NO	OWEN	NO	G WHITE	NO
FOX-HEWITT	YES	PANTER	NO	S WHITE	ABSTAIN
FRANKISH	NO	PARKER	NO	I WILKES	APOLOGIES
GARDNER	YES	PICKUP	YES	G WILLIAMS	YES
L HAILSTONES	NO	PROCTOR	NO	J WILLIAMS	YES
P HAILSTONES	APOLOGIES	REDDISH	ABSTAIN	WINFIELD	YES
HAMBLETON	YES	ROBINSON	YES	WING	APOLOGIES
HARPER	NO	ROUT	YES	WOOLLEY	NO
HEESOM	NO	SHENTON	APOLOGIES	WRIGHT	YES

 

In Favour - 23

Against - 27

Abstain – 3

 

The amendment therefore fell.

 

 

Councillor Gardner asked the Leader where Universal Credit was mentioned in the budget and whether there were any contingencies to manage the process.  Also, what would be done regarding the development of Skills?

 

The Leader stated that Councillor Gardner would receive a written response to her question.

 

 

A named vote was then taken in respect of the proposed budget:

 

ALLPORT	NO	HOLLAND	YES	SIMPSON	NO
ASTLE	ABSENT	HUCKFIELD	YES	SNELL	APOLOGIES
BAILEY	YES	JOHNSON	YES	SPENCE	NO
BEECH	NO	JONES	NO	STUBBS	NO
BLOOR	YES	KEARON	NO	SWEENEY	YES
BURGESS	NO	LOADES	YES	J TAGG	YES
COOPER	YES	MANCEY	YES	S TAGG	YES
MISS COOPER	YES	MATTHEWS	YES	TURNER	NO
DILLON	NO	NAYLON	YES	WALKLATE	YES
DYMOND	NO	NORTHCOTT	YES	J WARING	YES
EAGLES	ABSENT	OLSZEWSKI	APOLOGIES	P WARING	YES
FEAR	YES	OWEN	YES	G WHITE	YES
FOX-HEWITT	NO	PANTER	YES	S WHITE	YES
FRANKISH	YES	PARKER	YES	I WILKES	APOLOGIES
GARDNER	NO	PICKUP	NO	G WILLIAMS	NO
L HAILSTONES	YES	PROCTOR	YES	J WILLIAMS	NO
P HAILSTONES	APOLOGIES	REDDISH	YES	WINFIELD	NO
HAMBLETON	NO	ROBINSON	NO	WING	APOLOGIES
HARPER	YES	ROUT	NO	WOOLLEY	YES
HEESOM	YES	SHENTON	APOLOGIES	WRIGHT	NO

 

In Favour - 31

Against - 21

Abstain – 0

 

 

 

Resolved:     That the recommendations set out in Appendix ‘A’ of the agenda report be approved.