Agenda item

(Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report of the Council Budget 2023/24.

Notes

That a recorded vote is held on the recommendations contained within the report, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rule V3 ‘Voting at Budget Decision Council 18 February 2016 Meetings’ which directs Members to comply with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting there must be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that meeting the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting.

“Budget decision” means a meeting at which:

(a)        a calculation is made (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of the Sections 31A, 31B, 34 to 36A, 42A, 42B, 45 to 49, 52ZF, 52ZJ of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended; or

(b)        a precept is issued under Chapter 4 of Part 1 of that Act and includes a meeting where making the calculation or issuing the precept as the case may be was included as an item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

References to a vote are references to a vote not only on the substantive budget motions agreeing the budget, setting council taxes or issuing precepts, but also on any amendments proposed at the meeting.

Mover: Councillor J Philip, Finance Portfolio Holder

Councillor J Philip presented a report of the Budget for 2023/24 (including Medium-Term Financial Plan, Capital Programme and Fees and Charges). He thanked Mr A Small, Strategic Director and S151 Officer and Mr C Hartgrove, Interim Chief Financial Officer for an excellent budget and for their sound financial advice. He also thanked members of the Audit and Governance Committee.

There voted for the recommendations (42) namely: Councillors  I Allgood, N Avey, R Balcombe, R Baldwin, N Bedford, P Bolton, H Brady, L Burrows, E Gabbett, S Heap, S Heather, J Jogia, H Kane, S Kane, H Kauffman, P Keska, J Lea, J Leppert, J Lucas,  T Matthews, J McIvor, L Mead, R Morgan, C Nweke, J Parsons, A Patel, J Philip, C C Pond. C P Pond, R Pugsley, S Rackham, K Rizvi, M Sartin, P Stalker, D Stocker, D Sunger, B Vaz, C Whitbread, H Whitbread, K Williamson, D Wixley and S Yerrell.

There voted against the recommendations (5) namely: Councillors C Amos, C McCredie, S Murray, J H Whitehouse and J M Whitehouse.

Abstentions (1) namely: Councillor R Brooks.

Report as first moved ADOPTED.

            RESOLVED:

(1)        That the draft General Fund Revenue and Housing Revenue Account budgets for 2023/24 as presented in Attachment 1a, be approved.

(2)        That the draft General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital programmes for 2023/24 to 2027/28 presented in Attachment 1b, be approved.

(3)        That the proposed Fees and Charges for 2023/24, including an average Housing Rent increase of 7.0% on Council Dwellings, presented in Attachment 1c, be approved.

(4)        That the updated General Fund Medium-Term Financial Plan for 2023/24 to 2027/28 presented in Attachment 1d, be approved.

(5)        That the Section 151 Officer’s report – in accordance with Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 – on the robustness of the estimates for the purposes of the Council’s 2023/24 budgets and the adequacy of the reserves, presented in Attachment 2, be noted.

(6)        That the Section 151 Officer’s recommendation to maintain a minimum £4.0 million contingency balance in the Council’s General Fund Reserve in the medium-term, including a contribution to the Reserve as part of the General Fund revenue budget proposals for 2023/24, be approved.

(7)        That the Treasury Management Outturn report 2021/22 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 29th September 2022, presented in Attachment 3, be noted.

(8)        That the Treasury Management Mid-Year Update report 2022/23 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 28th November 2022, presented in Attachment 4, be noted.

(9)        That the draft Treasury Management Strategy 2023/24 considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 13th February 2023 and recommended for Council approval, presented in Attachment 5, be approved; and

(10)     That the draft Capital Strategy 2023/24 to 2025/26, considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 13th February 2023, presented in Attachment 6, be approved.