Agenda item

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

In the interests of transparency, Councillors Steve Battlemuch and Anne Peach declared that they were trustees of the Nottingham Playhouse Board.  This did not prevent them from remaining in the room during consideration of the proposals and voting on this item.

 

Councillor Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Growth and the City Centre, presented the report setting out proposals for the revenue budget 2021/22, capital programme to 2025/26 and level of council tax for 2021/22.  The report was seconded by Councillor David Mellen.

 

Councillor David Mellen, seconded by Councillor Sam Webster, proposed an amendment to the proposals, as set out below:

 

In recommendation 2.1(1) add after “the revenue budget for 2021/22”

 

“subject to the following:

 

  Net

2021/22

£

Reduce the amount of workforce and other savings that do not require  81,715

public consultation from £4.659m to £4.577m, removing a Children and

Young People proposal in relation to the Missing Children’s Team

 

Remove the Leisure, Culture and IT consultation proposal to introduce a  45,000

Charge for use of city centre toilets

 

Reduce the Leisure, Culture and IT consultation proposal in relation to  56,630

external grants to cultural partners from £107,000 to £50,370

 

Use an additional £183,345 of the earmarked Resilience Reserve in order  -183,345

to balance the 2021/22 budget, in light of the proposed amendments above

 

Total Net Financial Impact   0”

 

And amend the following recommendations as indicated:

·  In recommendation 2.1(3)(a) replace £990,599,900 with £990,738,245;

·  In recommendation 2.1(3)(b) replace £864,543,774 with £864,682,119

 

 

Councillors voted on the proposed amendment.

 

Resolved to approve the amendment proposed by Councillor Mellen.

 

Councillor Andrew Rule, seconded by Councillor Kevin Clarke, proposed a further amendment, as set out below:

 

In recommendation 2.1(1) add after “the revenue budget for 2021/22”

 

“subject to the following:

Section 1		Net 2021/22 £
Reduction in the number of Special Responsibility Positions for Executive Assistants				-34,740
Voluntary Garden Waste (4 extra garden waste collections a year charged at £10, for those residents who wish to subscribe)				-196,100
Reduction in payments to Trade Unions specifically for facility time (based on a 25% budget reduction, partial year)				-52,940
Bulky Waste – Citizens offered one free collection per annum, charges of £15 apply for further collections to fund council tax reductions for all citizens (based on 50% take up)				-219,110
Release uncommitted Area Capital reserves (one off)				-952,500
Total Net Financial Impact				-1,455,390

 

Section 2

It is recommended that reviews of the following areas 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 operator 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 asset transfer and use of community trusts for safeguard community assets – specifically and immediately for Summerwood Adult Day Centre in Clifton, in order to prevent the imminent threat of closure

• 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 2025/26”

 

“subject to the following:

 

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) replace £126,056,126 with £124,600,736;
• In recommendation 2.1 (3) (a) replace amended £990,738,245 with £989,794,510;
• In recommendation 2.1 (3) (b) replace amended £864,682,119 with £865,193,774;
• In recommendation 2.1 (3) (c) replace £126,056,126 with £124,600,736;
• In recommendation 2.1 (4) replace £1,898.55 with £1,876.63

 

And amend the following sections as indicated:

• In section 5.2 replace £126,056,126 with £124,600,736 and £1,898.55 with £1,876.63
• 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	£1,251.09
B	£1,459.60
C	£1,668.12
D	£1,876.63
E	£2,293.66
F	£2,710.69
G	£3,127.72
H	£3,753.26

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

Band	Aggregate
A	£1,458.21
B	£1,701.24
C	£1,944.28
D	£2,187.31
E	£2,673.38
F	£3,159.45
G	£3,645.52
H	£4,374.62

 

The meeting was adjourned at 17:25 to allow time for councillors to consider the proposed amendment.  The meeting resumed at 17:45.

 

Councillors voted on the proposed amendment.

 

Resolved to reject the amendment proposed by Councillor Rule.

 

Councillors debated the budget report, as amended by Councillor Mellen.

 

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

 

	For	Against	Abstain
Councillor Leslie Ayoola	ü
Councillor Cheryl Barnard	ü
Councillor Steve Battlemuch	ü
Councillor Merlita Bryan	ü
Councillor Graham Chapman	ü
Councillor Azad Choudhry	ü
Councillor Kevin Clarke		ü
Councillor Michael Edwards	ü
Councillor Sam Gardiner	ü
Councillor Jay Hayes	ü
Councillor Rosemary Healy	ü
Councillor Nicola Heaton	ü
Councillor Patience Ifediora	ü
Councillor Kirsty Jones		ü
Councillor Angela Kandola	ü
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 Dave Liversidge	ü
Councillor Sally Longford	ü
Councillor AJ Matsiko	ü
Councillor Carole McCulloch	ü
Councillor David Mellen	ü
Councillor Sajid Mohammed	ü
Councillor Salma Mumtaz	ü
Councillor Toby Neal	ü
Councillor Anne Peach	ü
Councillor Georgia Power	ü
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 Dave Trimble	ü
Councillor Maria Watson		ü
Councillor Sam Webster	ü
Councillor Adele Williams	ü
Councillor Linda Woodings	ü
Councillor Cate Woodward	ü
Councillor Audra Wynter	ü

 

Resolved to

 

(1)  approve the revenue budget for 2021/22,

 

subject to the following

Net

2021/22

£

Reduce the amount of workforce and other savings   81,715

that do not require public consultation from £4.659m

to £4.577m, removing a Children and Young People proposal

in relation to the Missing Children’s Team

 

Remove the Leisure, Culture and IT consultation proposal to    45,000

introduce a charge for use of city centre toilets

 

Reduce the Leisure, Culture and IT consultation proposal in  56,630

relation to external grants to cultural partners from £107,000

to £50,370

 

Use an additional £183,345 of the earmarked Resilience    -183,345

Reserve in order to balance the 2021/22 budget, in light of

the proposed amendments above

 

Total Net Financial Impact      0

 

including:

a.  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;

b.  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 2021/22 budget for publication;

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

d.  the retention of the Council Tax Support Scheme, currently in operation, for the financial year 2021/22

 

(2)  approve the capital programme to 2025/26;

 

(3)  approve a council tax requirement of £126,056,126 including the calculations required by Sections 30 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (“the Act”), as set out below:

a.  £990,738,245 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;

b.  £864,682,119 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;

c.  £126,056,126 being the amount by which the aggregate at (3)(a) above exceeds the aggregate at (3)(b) above, 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 2021/22 of £1,898.55 being the amount at (3)(c) divided by the amount at (9) below, 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 2021/22 at the levels described in the report

 

(6)  approve the making of the Members Allowances Scheme for 2021/22 in the terms of the previously adopted and amended Scheme, save for adjustments to mirror nationally determined rates of 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 Authority precept at Band D for 2021/22 of £82.95

 

(8)  note a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner precept at Band D for 2021/22 of £244.26

 

(9)  note that in January 2021 the City Council calculated the amount of 66,396 as its council tax base for the year 2021/22 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base)(England) Regulations 2012

 

 The meeting adjourned at 19:07 and resumed at 19:17.