Agenda item

(Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the minutes from the recent meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee, held on 19 January 2015, and any recommendations therein.

Allocation of Local Council Tax Support Grant

(1) That the Local Council Tax Support Grant available to Town and Parish Councils be allocated in line with the reduction in their Council Tax income, as listed in Appendix 1 of the report considered by the Cabinet Committee;

Engagement of Counsel – Judicial Review Defence

(2) That a supplementary estimate in the sum of £40,000 from the Housing Revenue Account for the engagement of Stephen Knafler QC be recommended to the Council for approval;

Homelessness Legal Expenses Budget

(3) That a supplementary estimate in the sum of £52,000 from the District Development Fund, for seeking specialist legal advice on homelessness cases and defending a homelessness case in the County Court, be recommended to the Council for approval;

(4) That a contingency provision for potential legal challenges to the Housing Allocations Scheme by homelessness applicants of £20,000 per annum from the District Development Fund be made for a three year period from 2015/16 to 2017/18; and

(5) That the budget for potential legal challenges to the Housing Allocations Scheme by homelessness applicants be reviewed after one year to ensure it was sufficient in the long term;

Community Arts – Proposed Budget Saving

(6) That additional income or savings in the sum of £10,000 be made by Community Services in 2015/16;

Detailed Directorate Budgets

(7) That the detailed Directorate budget for the Chief Executive be approved;

(8) That the detailed Directorate budget for Communities be approved;

(9) That the detailed Directorate budget for Governance be approved;

(10) That the detailed Directorate budget for Neighbourhoods be approved;

(11) That the detailed Directorate budget for Resources be approved;

(12) That the detailed Directorate budget for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) be approved, including the following amendments in respect of the Council’s Careline Service and the Scheme Management Service for sheltered housing and area schemes:

(a) That the loss of £133,000 per annum Housing Related Support (HRS) funding from Essex County Council be noted;

(b) That the charges for the Council’s Careline Service be increased by £0.27 per week, for both Council tenants and private clients, with effect from 6 April 2015 and that the Cabinet’s previous decision to increase the charge for private clients by £0.20 per week from 6 April 2015 be rescinded;

(c) That following a review of the duties undertaken by Scheme Managers, 10% of their time previously attributed to Housing Related Support be re-classified as Intensive Housing Management and charged as a Service Charge accordingly (which was eligible for housing benefit);

(d) That the charges for the Council’s Scheme Management Service (funded from Housing Related Support Charges and Intensive Housing Management Service Charges) be increased by 5% from 6 April 2015;

(e) That the increased charges for the Careline and Scheme Management Services provided to Council tenants in receipt of housing benefit not be met through any increase in compensating Housing Related Support Credit and that, furthermore, the Housing Related Support Credit currently received by such tenants be reduced by 8% with effect from 6 April 2015;

(f) That there was an intention:

(i) for the Careline Service to break even;

(ii) That the loss in HRS funding for the Scheme Management Service would be fully recovered from April 2016, as a result of spreading the required increases in charges over two years; and

(iii) That the HRA would be subsidising the Careline Service and Scheme Management Service by around £58,000 during 2015/16;

(g) That the potential for further reductions in HRS by Essex County Council in 2015/16 and/or 2016/17 be noted;

(13) That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee be requested to establish a Task and Finish Panel to consider the most effective use of our existing budgets relating to

Youth Engagement from 2016/17 and that some representatives from the District’s Youth Council, as non voting co-opted members, be included in the membership of the proposed Panel; and

(14) That the Leisure and Community Services Portfolio Holder be encouraged to develop the proposals for a review of Youth Engagement budgets in more detail through the submission of a PICK form;

Corporate Risk Register Update

(15) That Risk 1, Local Plan, be updated with the revised key target dates and the implementation of the new staffing structure;

(16) That Risk 2, Strategic Sites, be updated to include the additional key individual vulnerability;

(17) That Risk 3, Welfare Reform, be updated to include the additional controls;

(18) That Risk 5, Economic Development, be updated to reflect the service reverting to the Neighbourhoods Directorate on 31 March 2015;

(19) That Risk 6, Data/Information, be updated to include further controls, management actions and success factors;

(20) That, including the above agreed changes, the amended Corporate Risk Register be approved; and

Council Budgets 2015/16

(21) That the Cabinet Committee’s recommendations in respect of the Council Budgets for 2015/16 be noted.

The Finance Portfolio Holder presented the minutes of the recent meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee, held on 19 January 2015.

The Cabinet Committee had made recommendations to the Cabinet concerning: the Allocation of Local Council Tax Support Grant; the engagement of Counsel for a Judicial Review defence; the Homelessness legal expenses budget; the proposed budget saving for Community Arts; the detailed Directorate budgets for 2015/16; an update of the Corporate Risk Register; and the Council budgets for 2015/16. There were no other issues considered by the Cabinet Committee.

Decision: