Agenda item

(Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached minutes from the meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee, held on 19 January 2017, and any recommendations therein.

Extending the Funding of Two Epping Forest Citizens Advice Bureau Debt Advisors

(1) That funding for the Citizens Advice Bureau’s two existing Debt Advisors be approved for one year from 1 April 2017 as follows:

(a) £37,800 from the Housing Revenue Account; and

(b) £4,200 from the General Fund District Development Fund;

Homelessness Initiatives

(2) That a Continuing Services Budget growth bid in the sum of £32,000 per annum from 2017/18 for the appointment of 1 FTE additional Grade 6 Homelessness Prevention Officer be approved;

(3) That the existing Invest to Save Funding of £90,000 be used for providing applicants with a rental loan of 4 weeks rent to meet the costs of rent in advance when securing accommodation in the private rented sector and/or a landlord deposit in accordance with LHA rates (lodged with a third party by the landlord) with applicants being required to repay loans on an interest free basis over 36 months;

(4) That a Continuing Services Budget growth bid in the sum of £9,000 per annum from 2017/18 to fund an external company to undertake Homelessness Reviews be approved; and

(5) That a Continuing Services Budget growth bid in the sum of £2,500 per annum from 2017/18 to fund an external company to provide specialist services to rough sleepers be approved;

CARE Agency

(6) That £51,000 be top-sliced from the Government’s Better Care Fund contribution towards support for applicants of Disabled Facilities Grants from 2017/18;

Risk Management – Corporate Risk Register

(7) That the Existing Control and Required Further Management Action in Risk 1, Local Plan, be updated;

(8) That the Effectiveness of Controls/Actions and Required Further Management Action in Risk 2, Strategic Sites, be updated;

(9) That the Key Date for Risk 4, Finance Income, be updated;

(10) That the Vulnerability for Risk 9, Safeguarding, be updated; and

(11) That, including the above agreed changes, the revised Corporate Risk Register be approved;

Detailed Directorate Budgets

(12) That the detailed Directorate Budget for the Chief Executive be approved;

(13) That the detailed Directorate Budget for Communities be approved;

(14) That the detailed Directorate Budget for Governance be approved;

(15) That the detailed Directorate Budget for Neighbourhoods be approved;

(16) That the detailed Directorate Budget for Resources be approved; and

(17) That the detailed Directorate Budget for the Housing Revenue Account be approved.

Council Budgets 2017/18

(18) That the following guidelines for the Council’s General Fund Budgets in 2017/18 be recommended to the Council for adoption:

(a) the revised revenue estimates for 2016/17, and the anticipated reduction in the General Fund balance by £0.62 million, including a transfer of £0.2 million to the Invest to Save Reserve;

(b) confirmation of the target for the 2017/18 Continuing Services Budget of £13.11 million (including growth items);

(c) an increase in the target for the 2017/18 District Development Fund net spend from £0.26million to £2million;

(d) no change in the District Council Tax for a Band ‘D’ property to retain the charge at £148.77;

(e) the estimated reduction in the General Fund balances of £108,000 in 2017/18;

(f) the five year Capital Programme for the period 2016/17 to 2020/21;

(g) the Medium Term Financial Strategy for the period 2016/17 to 2020/21; and

(h) the Council’s policy on General Fund Revenue Balances to remain that they be allowed to fall no lower than 25% of the Net Budget Requirement.

(19) That the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2017/18, including the revised revenue estimates for 2016/17, be recommended to the Council for approval;,

(20) That the rent reductions proposed for 2017/18, with an average overall fall of 1%, be noted; and

(21) That the Chief Financial Officer’s report to the Council on the robustness of the estimates for the purposes of the Council’s 2017/18 budgets and the adequacy of the reserves be noted.

The Finance Portfolio Holder presented the minutes from the recent meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee, held on 19 January 2017.

The Cabinet Committee had made recommendations to the Cabinet regarding: extending the funding for two Debt Advisors at the Epping Forest Citizens Advice Bureau; Initiatives to help tackle Homelessness within the District; further support for users of the C.A.R.E. Agency; the approval of an updated Corporate Risk Register; the detailed Directorate Budgets for 2017/18; and guidelines for the Council’s Budgets in 2017/18. There were no other issues considered by the Cabinet Committee.

Decision: