Agenda item

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre presented a report setting out proposals for the 2020/21 budget.

 

 

Councillor Andrew Rule proposed an amendment to the budget as follows:

 

“subject to the following:

 

Section 1    Net

  2020/21

  £

 

Proceeds from the sale of shares in wholly owned companies  -3,000,000

 

Ring-fence resources for the following areas:    +3,000,000

·  Children’s Services – Early Years Intervention:

o  Additional support for Supporting Families

Programme (expansion of Government’s Troubled

Families Programme)

o  Funding programme expansion for voluntary and

Community sector

o  Additional back office support for social workers

 

Income from Solar Panel Investment Scheme    -37,500

Reinvested in Energy Improvement Initiatives    +37,500

 

Fleet sponsorship of Council vehicles    -70,000

 

Lamp post commercial advertising    -127,900

 

Reduction in the number of Special Responsibility Positions  -86,190

 

Voluntary Garden Waste – offer citizens a two month extension    -224,548

service to the current garden waste collection scheme for £8.50

 

Reduction in payments to Trade Unions    -49,710

 

Abandon Arrow Communication and cancellation of Neighbourhood  -129,000

Newsletters

 

Bulky waste – citizens offered two free collections per annum, charges  -66,942

of £15 apply for further collections to fund council tax reductions for all

citizens

 

Release uncommitted Area Capital reserves (one off)  -1,046,000

 

Total Net Financial Impact  -1,800,290

 

Section 2

 

It is recommended that reviews of the following area be undertaken:

·  Review of impact on the City Council in the event the Tram Operator fails

·  Review of alternative financing methods to Work Place Parking Levy

·  Audit of availability payments made to operate accurately reflect operational performance

·  Urgent review of waste disposal strategy post 2030

·  Review of parking and traffic enforcement exemptions – NHS City Care staff, Council employed carers, first responders and on duty emergency personnel

·  Assessment of inefficiencies arising from internal charging within City Council

·  Urgent review of parking charges on economy of city centre

·  Review of voluntary and third sector access to youth centres to improve utilisation

·  Review of membership of Companies Governance Committee

·  Review of commercialisation opportunities within Tree Services

·  Area Capital allocation formula

·  Develop a strategy for increasing the mix of affordable homes as a means of increasing the City Council’s Council Tax Base

·  Identify and pursue commercialisation opportunities with other local authorities”

 

In recommendation 2.1 (2) add after “the capital programme to 2024/25”

 

“subject to the following:

 

That a new scheme is added for Solar Panel Investment Scheme (£1.500m in 2020/21 to be funded from borrowing)”

 

It is recommended that a review of the existing capital programme be undertaken to:

·  Reprioritise resources to create additional funds to improve pavements.  Councillors who use Area Capital Fund to improve pavements on main thoroughfares could seek match funding from this fund.

·  Reprioritise to fund repairs to roads across the City.”

 

And amend the following recommendations as indicated:

·  In recommendation 2.1(3) substitute £121,807,454 for £120,007,164

·  In recommendation 2.1(3)(a) substitute £978,080,189 for £977,008,663

·  In recommendation 2.1(3)(b) substitute £856,272,735 for £857,001,499

·  In recommendation 2.1(3)(c) substitute £121,807,454 for £120,007,164

·  In recommendation 2.1(4) substitute £1,808.31 for £1,781.58

 

And amend the following sections as indicated:

·  In section 5.2 substitute £121,807,454 for £120,007,164 and £1,808.31 for £1,781.58

·  In section 5.3 and 5.6 substitute the following basic amounts of council tax for the ones shown in the report:

 

Band	Basic Amount of Council Tax
A	£1,187.72
B	£1,385.67
C	£1,583.63
D	£1,781.58
E	£2,177.49
F	£2,573.39
G	£2,969.30
H	£3,563.16

 

·  In section 5.6 substitute the following aggregate council taxes for those shown in the report:

 

Band	Aggregate
A	£1,394.84
B	£1,627.31
C	£1,859.79
D	£2,092.26
E	£2,557.21
F	£3,022.15
G	£3,487.10
H	£4,184.52

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:35pm to allow time for councillors to consider the proposed amendment.  The meeting resumed at 4:55pm.

 

Councillors voted on the proposed amendment.

 

Resolved to reject the proposed amendment.

 

 

Councillors voted on the recommendations in the budget report as follows:

 

	For	Against	Abstain
Councillor Hassan Ahmed	ü
Councillor Leslie Ayoola	ü
Councillor Cheryl Barnard	ü
Councillor Steve Battlemuch	ü
Councillor Merlita Bryan	ü
Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark	ü
Councillor Graham Chapman	ü
Councillor Azad Choudhry
Councillor Kevin Clarke		ü
Councillor Audrey Dinnall	ü
Councillor Michael Edwards	ü
Councillor Sam Gardiner
Councillor Jay Hayes	ü
Councillor Rosemary Healy	ü
Councillor Nicola Heaton
Councillor Patience Ifediora	ü
Councillor Phil Jackson
Councillor Maria Joannou	ü
Councillor Sue Johnson
Councillor Kirsty Jones		ü
Councillor Angela Kandola
Councillor Jawaid Khalil	ü
Councillor Gul Nawaz Khan	ü
Councillor Neghat Nawaz Khan	ü
Councillor Zafran Nawaz Khan	ü
Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis	ü
Councillor Jane Lakey	ü
Councillor Rebecca Langton	ü
Councillor Chantal Lee	ü
Councillor Dave Liversidge	ü
Councillor Sally Longford	ü
Councillor AJ Matsiko	ü
Councillor Carole McCulloch
Councillor David Mellen	ü
Councillor Sajid Mohammed
Councillor Salma Mumtaz	ü
Councillor Toby Neal
Councillor Lauren O’Grady	ü
Councillor Anne Peach	ü
Councillor Georgia Power
Councillor Shuguftah Quddoos	ü
Councillor Ethan Radford	ü
Councillor Nick Raine	ü
Councillor Angharad Roberts	ü
Councillor Andrew Rule		ü
Councillor Mohammed Saghir	ü
Councillor Wendy Smith	ü
Councillor Roger Steel		ü
Councillor Dave Trimble	ü
Councillor Maria Watson		ü
Councillor Sam Webster	ü
Councillor Adele Williams	ü
Councillor Linda Woodings	ü
Councillor Cate Woodward
Councillor Audra Wynter	ü

 

Resolved to:

 

(1)  approve the revenue budget for 2020/21, including

 

  i.  the recommendations of the Strategic Director of Finance/ Chief Finance Officer in respect of the robustness of the estimates made for the purpose of the budget calculations and the adequacy of reserves;

  ii.  the delegation of authority to the Strategic Director of Finance/ Chief Finance Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre to finalise the Medium Term Finance Plan for publication;

  iii.  the delegation of authority to the Corporate Leadership Team to implement savings after undertaking the appropriate consultation;

  iv.  the retention of the Council Tax Support Scheme, currently in operation, for the financial year 2020/21

 

(2)  approve the capital programme to 2024/25;

 

(3)  approve a council tax requirement of £121,807,454 including the calculations required by Sections 30 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (“the Act”), as set out below

 

  i.  £978,080,189 being the aggregate of the expenditure, allowances, reserves and amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) (a) to (f) of the Act;

  ii.  £856,272,735 being the aggregate of the income and amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) (a) to (d) of the Act;

  iii.  £121,807,454 being the amount by which the aggregate at (3i) exceeds the aggregate at (3ii), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its council tax requirement for the year;

 

(4)  approve a City Council Band D basic amount of council tax for 2020/21 of £1,808.31 being the amount at (3iii) divided by the amount at (9), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year (as set out in Section 5 of the report)

 

(5)  approve the setting of the amounts of council tax for 2020/21 at the levels described in Section 5.6 of the report)

 

(6)  approve the making of the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2020/21 in the terms of the previously adopted and amended Scheme, save for adjustments to mirror nationally determined rates for pay awards and travel and subsistence (as applicable to officers) and for carers allowances

 

(7)  note a Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue precept at Band D for 2020/21 of £81.36

 

(8)  note a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner precept at Band D for 2020/21 of £229.32

 

(9)  note that in January 2020, the City Council calculated the amount of 67,360 as its council tax base for the year 2020/21 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012