Decision details

The Cabinet will be presented with a progress report on the budget setting process for 2017/18 and beyond and asked to consider appropriate proposals that would assist the Council in setting a balanced budget for 2017/18.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the latest position regarding the Council’s Budget Strategy 2017/18 to 2020/21, as summarised in the report;

(ii)   Note that the projected revised savings arising from the Transformation Programme had increased by £2.4m to £47.9m overall as outline business cases were tested and challenged through to becoming final business cases and that, through the same testing and challenge process, the benefits from the programme anticipated to be delivered in 2017/18 were now £9.275m;

(iii)   Note that the savings from the Transformation Programme would be finalised as final business cases were completed in December 2016 / January 2017;

(iv)  Note that the final business cases would provide details of the implementation costs of the Transformation Programme that had yet to be factored into the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS);

(v)  Note that the impact of changes to Government funding and likely changes to the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) multiplier had increased the funding gap in 2017/18 by £1.967m;

(vi)  Note that changes in the income and assumptions had been based on the best known information at the present time, in advance of the Autumn Statement and the Local Government Finance Settlement;

(vii)  Approve the changes to the MTFS as outlined in sections 3 to 6 and Appendix 2 of the report; and

(viii)  Agree that an eight-week budget consultation exercise be commenced on the proposed Council expenditure on each service block and how the Council intended to set a balanced budget for 2017/18.