Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Core Services presented a report on the Council’s revenue and capital budget monitoring position for the 2018/19 financial year as at 30 September 2018 (Month 6).

The underlying position was similar to that at the end of August (Month 5), although the development of an action plan within the People and Resilience directorate was forecast to achieve a £2.5m reduction in the overspending within the service.  Therefore, the overall net overspend position for the Council was now predicted to be £3.8m at the year-end.  The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration commented on the Government’s continued under-funding of social care services for children and families which had led to the current pressures being experienced within the service.  On that subject, it was pointed out that Barking and Dagenham had a 15% real-term reduction in its funding for 2018/19 which was double the London average, yet the level of overspend was only half of the London average.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Core Services also referred to the allocation of Improved Better Care Fund grant and other virements relating to Adult Social Care budgets, as well as an additional funding request of £40,000 to complete the BMX track project and bringing forward £305,000 of future years’ allocation to finance the replacement of two Waste Services vehicles.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the current forecast outturn position for 2018/19 of the Council’s General Fund revenue budget as detailed in section 2 and Appendix A to the report;

(ii)  Approve the proposed budget virement totalling £4.062m in respect of Adult Social Care budgets, as detailed in Appendix B to the report; and

(iii)  Approve the two proposed revisions to the 2018/19 Capital Programme, as detailed in section 5 of the report.