Agenda, decisions and minutes

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 23 FEBRUARY 2023

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 23 FEBRUARY 2023

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the contents of the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023-2026; and

2.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the report of the Service Director Finance (S151 Officer), under Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 at Section 1 be noted, that the 2023/24 budget proposals be agreed and that the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team (SMT), in consultation with Cabinet Spokespersons, submit, for early consideration, detailed plans that ensure the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability in 23/24 and beyond; and

3.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the revised Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and Budget Forecast for 23/24 to 25/26 contained in the budget pack attached at Section 2 (supported by the suite of background papers in Sections 2a – 2d) be noted and that these are monitored as part of the arrangements for the delivery of the MTFS; and

4.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that provision of £35.4M to cover anticipated demographic and other cost pressures in 23/24:

·       Pay (£9.0M),

·       Energy (£5.3M),

·       Children’s Social Care including the development plan costs (£7.0M),

·       Adult Social Care including hospital discharges (£6.5M),

·       Homes to School Transport (£1.2M),

·       Waste Services (£0.9M),

·       Inflation on major contracts e.g., PFI (£3.1M),

·       Funding borrowing costs (£0.6M),

·       Investment in legal resource (£0.5M),

·       Investment in car parking (£0.5M),

·       Youth zone running costs (£0.8M)

be approved for inclusion in the budget as identified at Section 2; and

5.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the budgetary provisions previously set aside in the 22/23 budget for demography, demand and energy costs totalling £9.2M be approved to be released to mitigate the above pressures; and

6.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the specific Adult Social Care grant of £2.1M received in the 2022 Local Government Finance Settlement be used to contribute to the funding of inflationary pressures in the care sector; and

7.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the increase in the Better Care Fund of £1.9M received in the 2022 Local Government Finance Settlement be used to fund the cost of hospital discharges; and

8.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that £7.5M of additional general social care funding received in the 2022 Local Government Finance Settlement be set aside pending further assessment of the emerging financial risks relating to Childrens and Adults Social Care; and

9.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that reserves totalling £5.5M be used to further mitigate the pressures above, strictly on the basis of this being a temporary bridging strategy to permanently aligning ongoing spend and income over the MTFS planning period; and

10.Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 that the proposed efficiency savings in 23/24 highlighted in Section 2 and detailed at Section 4a – 4e be approved for implementation and that Members also note the development of a transformation programme to  ...  view the full decision text for item 184.

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 23 FEBRUARY 2023

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 23 FEBRUARY 2023

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the cost pressures on the HRA and efficiencies being proposed to mitigate these to support the longer-term investment needs of the housing stock; and

2.    Notes the HRA Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as set out in paragraphs 2.20; and

3.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of the Housing Revenue Account Draft Budget for 2023/24, as outlined in paragraph 2.22 and detailed in Appendix 1, including the proposed revenue investments totalling £1.1M, [Appendix 2, paragraph 2B refers], with any final amendments being delegated to the Cabinet Spokesperson for Growth & sustainability and the Executive Director for Growth & Sustainability in consultation with the Cabinet Spokesman for Core Services and the Service Director - Finance (S151); and

4.    Notes the acceleration of EPC and stock condition survey works to complete fully during 2023/24; and

5.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of a rent increase of 6.5%, which is under the Government’s Rent Cap of 7%; and

6.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of a non-dwelling rent increase in line with CPI; and

7.    Notes that both service charges and district heating charges will be subject to a separate review during 2023/24; and

8.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of the 2023/24 Berneslai Homes Management Fee totalling £15.453M [Appendix 2, paragraph 2C refers], with any final amendments delegated to the Cabinet Spokesperson for Growth & Sustainability and the Service Director, Regeneration & Culture in consultation with the Cabinet Spokesman for Core Services and the Service Director -Finance (S151); and

9.    Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of the 2023/24 Berneslai Homes Management Fee for both Gypsy Sites, and the European Social Fund (ESF) Grant totalling £0.216M, both of which are charged to the Authority’s General Fund [Appendix 2, paragraph 2D refers]; and

10.Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval of the Core Housing Capital Investment programme for 2023/24 totalling £20.394M [£14.849M to maintain decency and £5.545M supplementary works] and noting of the indicative programme for 2024/25 through 2027/28, outlined in paragraphs 2.24 – 2.25; and

11.Recommends to Full Council on 23 February 2023 approval in principle, of the proposed capital schemes totalling £42.330M, subject to individual reports as appropriate, in line with the Council’s governance arrangements [paragraphs 2.26 – 2.29 refer]; and

12.Recommends the report to Full Council on 23 February 2023.

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 30 MARCH 2023

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 30 MARCH 2023

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Endorses the final draft Lettings Policy, noting and supporting the areas of significant change, and resolves to recommend to Full Council with any minor amends to be delegated to the Service Director for Regeneration and Culture in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Growth and Sustainability.

2.    Notes and supports the Implementation Plan and Timescales for the adoption of the new Lettings Policy from 1st December 2023.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Approves the funding allocation; and

2.    Approves the delivery of the agreed activity.

It is likely that the public and press will be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the items so marked because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by the specific paragraphs of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended, subject to the public interest test.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the progress made in developing the Heads of Terms for the delivery of the Council Homes PV scheme and associated business model and approves the proposed changes to the Concessions Agreement (as set out in the Heads of Terms) which seeks to strengthen the governance arrangements of the partnership and better enable future delivery of projects of this nature; and

2.    Notes the role that the Council has as Custodian Trustee of Energise Barnsley and supports the nomination of the Service Director of Law and Governance to represent the Council in performing this function; and

3.    Delegates approval and ‘sign off’ of the final variations to the Concession Agreement, which will be prepared jointly between Walker Morris, the Council’s Legal Team and representatives of Energise Barnsley management company, to the Service Director of Law and Governance.