Agenda item

The Committee considered the report and the supplementary addendum.

 

Councillor Rawlings moved a motion that was duly seconded, to amend recommendation 1.4 as follows:

 

“Recommend to Council applying the social care precept at 2% in 2016/17 – to help fund care for the elderly – subject to the results of the current consultation”

 

Having been put to the vote the Committee voted:

 

For: 5

Against: 7

Abstain: 0

 

The motion was therefore lost.

 

The Chairman moved to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows

 

For: 7

Against: 0

Abstain: 5

 

The committee

 

RESOLVED –

 

1.    To note the issues that have, so far, emerged from the consultation when making their decisions. Consultation closed on 12 February, however due to the timings of compiling and publishing this report, the consultation report in Appendix G is presented as an interim report, reflecting responses received as of 3 February 2016. A final consultation report will be reported to Council on 1 March, to inform final decisions on the council’s budget. The committee made the decisions below also being mindful of the equalities impact assessments including the cumulative equalities impact assessments;

 

2.    To recommend to Council for approval the MTFS attached as Appendix A and the detailed revenue budgets in Appendices B1 and B2. The MTFS sets out all of the budget changes over the period 2016-20, including assumptions around inflation, changes to levies, pressures, savings and grant funding. It is the model around which the council’s financial strategy is based.

 

3.    To recommend to Council that the budget for 2016/17 is prepared on the basis of no increase to council tax in 2016/17, other than for the increase set out below in 1.4 – subject to the results of the current consultation;

 

4.    To recommend to Council applying the social care precept at 1.7% in 2016/17 – to help fund care for the elderly – subject to the results of the current consultation;

 

5.    To note that the Chief Finance Officer under his delegated powers in accordance with para 4.3.2 of the Financial Regulations has calculated the amount of 135,324 (band D equivalents) as the Council Tax base for the year 2016/17 [item T in the formula in Section 31B (1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “Act”)];

 

6.    To recommend to Council for approval, the following amounts calculated for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Sections 31(A) and (B), 34, 35 and 36 of the Act:

a)    £956,469,590 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) (a) to (f) of the Act;

b)    £804,761,913 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimated for the items set out in Section 31A(3) (a) to (d) of the Act;

c)    £151,707,677 being the amount by which the aggregate at 1.6(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 1.6(b) above, calculated by the council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year (Item R in the formula section 31A(4) of the Act);

d)    £1,121.07 being the amount at 1.6(c) above (item R), divided by Item T (Item 1.5 above), calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year;

 

London Borough of Barnet Valuation Bands (£)

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
747.38	871.94	996.51	1121.07	1370.20	1619.32	1868.45	2242.14

 

Being the amounts given by multiplying the amounts at 1.6(d) above by the number which, in proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listen in valuation band D, calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands;

 

7.    To recommend to Council, on the advice of the Chief Finance Officer, that it determines that the council’s basic amount of Council Tax for 2016/17 as set out in 1.6(d) above is not excessive in accordance with the principles approved under section 52ZB and 52ZC of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, set out in the Referendums relating to draft Council Tax increases (Principles) Report (England) 2016/17 subject to any changes to that Report which at the time of publication of this report was still in draft;

 

8.    To note that for the year 2016/17 the Greater London Authority has provisionally indicated that the following amounts in precepts will be issued to the council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of the dwellings shown below:

 

Greater London Authority Valuation Bands (£)

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
184.00	214.67	245.33	276.00	337.33	398.67	460.00	552.00

 

9.    To recommend that having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 1.6(d) with the amounts at 1.8, the council, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, sets the following amounts as the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2016/17 for each of the categories dwellings shown below:

 

Council Tax for Area (£)

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
931.38	1086.61	1241.84	1397.07	1707.53	2017.99	2328.45	2794.14

 

10. To recommend to Council for approval the Barnet Council Tax Support Scheme, adopted in January 2015, remain unchanged except for uprating in line with Department for Work and Pension changes for housing benefit.

 

11. To note that the working age non-dependent (ND) charges be uprated as set out in paragraph 1.6.14

 

12. To recommend to Council that in accordance with Section 38(2) of the Act the Chief Executive be instructed to place a notice in the local press of the amounts set under recommendation 1.9 above within a period of 21 days following the Council’s decision;

 

13. To recommend to Council for approval the capital programme as set out in Appendix C1 and C2, and that the Chief Officers be authorised to take all necessary actions for implementation;

 

14. To recommend to Council that the Chief Finance Officer be authorised to adjust capital project budgets and financing in 2016/17 throughout the capital programme after the 2015/16 accounts are closed and the amount of slippage and budget carry forward required are known.

 

15. To recommend to Council the approval of the Treasury Management Strategy for 2016/17 as set out in Appendix I;

 

16. To approve the following in relation to the Housing Revenue Account:

a)    The proposed rent decrease by 1% for council dwelling as set out in paragraph 1.9.3 to take effect from 1 April 2016;

b)    The proposed increase to service charges for council dwelling as set out in paragraph 1.9.9 to take effect from 1 April 2016;

c)    The proposed rent increase of 2% for council garages as set out in paragraph 1.9.9 to take effect from 1 April 2016,

 

17. To approve the Housing Revenue Account estimates for 2016/17 as set out in Appendix D;

 

18. To note the submission of the Authority Proforma Tool in relation to the Dedicated Schools Budget as set out in Appendix E;

 

19. To approve the Assurance fees and charges in Appendix F, whilst noting the Adults, Children’s and Environment fees and charges that were approved at their relevant Theme Committee as detailed in Appendix F;

 

20. To note the summary equality impact assessment (EIA) and cumulative assessment set out in section 5.6. Appendix H provides the cumulative impact and individual Delivery Unit assessments where significant changes to service delivery are proposed. As EIAs and cumulative EIA are assessed to take account of responses to the budget consultation will be reported to Council of 1 March 2016 to inform the final decision on next year’s budget;

 

21. To recommend to Council approval of the reserves and balances policy as set out in Appendix K and indicative amounts as set out in para 1.11 and the Chief Finance Officer’s assessment of adequacy of reserves in section 1.11. To recommend to Council that CFO authorised to adjust balances in 2016/17 after 2015/16 accounts are closed and the amount of balances carry forward required are known;

 

22. To approve budget movements as set out in para 1.12;

 

23. To approve the transformation programme as detailed in Appendix J and additional funding as set out in para 1.13;

 

24. To recommend to Council to approve the write offs as detailed in Appendix L and summarised in para 1.12.8;

 

25.To note the corporate risk register and recommend it to Council as set out in Appendix M.