Agenda item

Councillor Richard Cornelius, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Councillor Barry Rawlings moved his amendment. Councillor Jack Cohen moved his amendment. Debate ensued.

 

The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and Council Procedure Rule 12.4 requires that voting relating to the budget and Council tax be recorded. In accordance with this requirement, voting on the budget decisions was as follows:

 

Upon being put to the vote, the Labour Alternative Budget was declared lost. Voting on the Labour Alternative Budget:

 

 

	For	Against	Not Voting	Absent
Maureen Braun		ü
Jess Brayne	ü
Rebecca Butler	ü
Pauline Coakley Webb	ü
Dean Cohen		ü
Jack Cohen			ü
Melvin Cohen		ü
Philip Cohen	ü
Geof Cooke	ü
Alison Cornelius		ü
Richard Cornelius		ü
Tom Davey		ü
Val Duschinsky		ü
Paul Edwards	ü
Claire Farrier	ü
Anthony Finn		ü
Brian Gordon		ü
Eva Greenspan		ü
Rohit Grover		ü
Helena Hart		ü
John Hart		ü
Ross Houston	ü
Anne Hutton	ü
Andreas Ioannidis	ü
Devra Kay	ü
Sury Khatri		ü
Adam Langleben	ü
Kathy Levine	ü
David Longstaff		ü
Kitty Lyons	ü
John Marshall		ü
Kath McGuirk	ü
Arjun Mittra	ü
Alison Moore	ü
Ammar Naqvi	ü
NagasNarenthira	ü
Charlie O’Macauley				ü
Graham Old		ü
Alon Or-Bach	ü
Reema Patel				ü
Bridget Perry		ü
Wendy Prentice		ü
Sachin Rajput		ü
Barry Rawlings	ü
Hugh Rayner		ü
Tim Roberts	ü
Gabriel Rozenberg		ü
Lisa Rutter		ü
Shimon Ryde		ü
Brian Salinger		ü
Gill Sargeant	ü
Joan Scannell		ü
Alan Schneiderman	ü
Mark Shooter		ü
Agnes Slocombe	ü
Stephen Sowerby		ü
Caroline Stock		ü
Daniel Thomas		ü
Reuben Thompstone		ü
Jim Tierney	ü
Laurie Williams	ü
Peter Zinkin		ü
ZakiaZubairi	ü

 

For:                28

Against:         32

Abstain:          1

Absent:           2

 

TOTAL:          63

 

Upon being put to the vote, the Liberal Democrat Alternative Budget was declared lost. Voting on the Liberal Democrat Alternative Budget:

 

	For	Against	Not Voting	Absent
Maureen Braun		ü
Jess Brayne			ü
Rebecca Butler			ü
Pauline Coakley Webb			ü
Dean Cohen		ü
Jack Cohen	ü
Melvin Cohen		ü
Philip Cohen			ü
Geof Cooke			ü
Alison Cornelius		ü
Richard Cornelius		ü
Tom Davey		ü
Val Duschinsky		ü
Paul Edwards			ü
Claire Farrier			ü
Anthony Finn		ü
Brian Gordon		ü
Eva Greenspan		ü
Rohit Grover		ü
Helena Hart		ü
John Hart		ü
Ross Houston			ü
Anne Hutton			ü
Andreas Ioannidis			ü
Devra Kay			ü
Sury Khatri		ü
Adam Langleben			ü
Kathy Levine			ü
David Longstaff		ü
Kitty Lyons			ü
John Marshall		ü
Kath McGuirk			ü
Arjun Mittra			ü
Alison Moore			ü
Ammar Naqvi			ü
NagasNarenthira			ü
Charlie O’Macauley				ü
Graham Old		ü
Alon Or-Bach			ü
Reema Patel				ü
Bridget Perry		ü
Wendy Prentice		ü
Sachin Rajput		ü
Barry Rawlings			ü
Hugh Rayner		ü
Tim Roberts			ü
Gabriel Rozenberg		ü
Lisa Rutter		ü
Shimon Ryde		ü
Brian Salinger		ü
Gill Sargeant			ü
Joan Scannell		ü
Alan Schneiderman			ü
Mark Shooter		ü
Agnes Slocombe			ü
Stephen Sowerby		ü
Caroline Stock		ü
Daniel Thomas		ü
Reuben Thompstone		ü
Jim Tierney			ü
Amy Trevethan			ü
Laurie Williams			ü
Peter Zinkin		ü
ZakiaZubairi			ü

 

 

For:                1

Against:         32

Abstain:         28

Absent:           2

 

TOTAL:          63

 

Upon being put to the vote the recommendations in the report of the Policy and Resources Committee were declared carried, with voting being declared as follows:

 

	For	Against	Not Voting	Absent
Maureen Braun	ü
Jess Brayne		ü
Rebecca Butler		ü
Pauline Coakley Webb		ü
Dean Cohen	ü
Jack Cohen		ü
Melvin Cohen	ü
Philip Cohen		ü
Geof Cooke		ü
Alison Cornelius	ü
Richard Cornelius	ü
Tom Davey	ü
Val Duschinsky	ü
Paul Edwards		ü
Claire Farrier		ü
Anthony Finn	ü
Brian Gordon	ü
Eva Greenspan	ü
Rohit Grover	ü
Helena Hart	ü
John Hart	ü
Ross Houston		ü
Anne Hutton		ü
Andreas Ioannidis		ü
Devra Kay		ü
Sury Khatri	ü
Adam Langleben		ü
Kathy Levine		ü
David Longstaff	ü
Kitty Lyons		ü
John Marshall	ü
Kath McGuirk		ü
Arjun Mittra		ü
Alison Moore		ü
Ammar Naqvi		ü
NagasNarenthira		ü
Charlie O’Macauley		ü		ü
Graham Old	ü
Alon Or-Bach		ü
Reema Patel				ü
Bridget Perry	ü
Wendy Prentice	ü
Sachin Rajput	ü
Barry Rawlings		ü
Hugh Rayner	ü
Tim Roberts		ü
Gabriel Rozenberg	ü
Lisa Rutter	ü
Shimon Ryde	ü
Brian Salinger	ü
Gill Sargeant		ü
Joan Scannell	ü
Alan Schneiderman		ü
Mark Shooter	ü
Agnes Slocombe		ü
Stephen Sowerby	ü
Caroline Stock	ü
Daniel Thomas	ü
Reuben Thompstone	ü
Jim Tierney		ü
Laurie Williams		ü
Peter Zinkin	ü
ZakiaZubairi		ü

 

For:                32

Against:         29

Abstain:         0

Absent:          2

 

TOTAL:          63

 

RESOLVED – That Council:

 

1                    Consider the issues that have emerged from the consultation when making their decisions. Council will make the decisions below also being mindful of the equalities impact assessments including the cumulative equalities impact assessments;

 

2                    Approve the MTFS attached as Appendix A and the detailed revenue budgets in Appendices C1 and C2. The MTFS sets out all of the budget changes over the period 2017-20, 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                    Approve that the budget for 2018/19 is prepared on the basis of no increase to general council tax in 2018/19, other than for the increase set out below on recommendation 4;

 

4                    Approve the applying of a social care precept at 3% in 2018/19 – to help fund care for vulnerable adults and the elderly;

 

5                    Approve the resolutions relating to Council Tax contained within Appendix B – Council Tax Resolutions;

 

6                    Approve, on the advice of the Chief Finance Officer, that it determines that the council’s basic amount of Council Tax for 2018/19 as set out in Council Tax resolution (Appendix B) 2(iv) 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 Council Tax increases (Principles)(England) Report 2018/19;

 

7                    Approve that the Barnet Council Tax Support Scheme, adopted in January 2015, remains unchanged except for uprating in line with Department for Work and Pension changes for housing benefit (see 1.7.12 within Appendix 1;

 

8                    Notes that the working age non-dependent (ND) charges be uprated as set out in paragraph 1.7.13 within Appendix 1;

 

9                    Approve that in accordance with Section 38(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 the Chief Executive be instructed to place a notice in the local press of the amounts set under recommendation 5 above within a period of 21 days following the Council’s decision;

 

10                 Approve the capital programme as set out in Appendix E1 and E2, and that the Chief Officers be authorised to take all necessary actions for implementation;

 

11                 Note that the addition to the capital programme in relation to the Barnet Trees Policy (as per paragraph 1.8.16 in the 13^th February 2018 P&R report) was approved in addition to the capital programme referred to in recommendation 10;

 

12                 Note that the addition to the capital programme in relation to the Gaelic Playing pitch relocation (as per paragraph 1.8.20 in the 13^th February 2018 P&R report) was approved in addition to the capital programme referred to in recommendation 10;

 

13                 Note that the addition to the capital programme in relation to the Tranche 3 Affordable Homes Programme (as per paragraph 1.8.25 in the 13^th February 2018 P&R report) was approved in addition to the capital programme referred to in recommendation 10;

 

14                 Note that the addition to the capital programme in relation to the Housing Acquisition Programme (as per paragraph 1.8.29 in the 13^th February 2018 P&R report) was approved in addition to the capital programme referred to in recommendation 10;

 

15                 Delegate authority to the Chief Finance Officer to adjust capital project budgets and financing in 2018/19 throughout the capital programme after the 2017/18 accounts are closed and the amount of slippage and budget carry forward required are known;

 

16                 Note that the Treasury Management Strategy (Appendix J) is a live document and that the version recommended by Policy and Resources has been updated to reflect the proposed capital programme and the inclusion of lease financed capital expenditure;

 

17                 Approve of the Treasury Management Strategy for 2018/19 as set out in Appendix J;

 

18                 Approval of the following in relation to the Housing Revenue Account:

 

a)    The proposed rent decrease by 1% for council dwellings as set out in Appendix 1 paragraph 1.10.3 to take effect from 1 April 2018;

b)   The proposed increase to service charges for council dwellings as set out in Appendix 1 paragraph 1.10.9 to take effect from 1 April 2018; and,

 

c)    The proposed rent increase of 3.1% for council garages as set out in Appendix 1 paragraph 1.10.9 to take effect from 1 April 2018.

 

19                 Approval of the draft Schools Budget of £327.313m as per paragraph 1.6.8 in Appendix 1;

 

20                 Note the draft Post-16 budget of £5.417m as per paragraph 1.6.8 in Appendix 1;

 

21                 Approve that any changes to the Schools Budget reasonably required as a result of the final 2018/19 DSG and Post-16 settlement are delegated for decision to the Strategic Director - Children & Young People in consultation with the Director of Finance;

 

22                 Note the Adults, Children’s and Environment fees and charges that were approved at their relevant Theme Committee as detailed in Appendix G;

 

23                 Note the summary equality impact assessment (EIA) and cumulative assessment set out in section 5.6. of Appendix I provides the cumulative impact and individual Delivery Unit assessments where significant changes to service delivery are proposed;

 

24                 Approve the reserves and balances policy as set out in Appendix K and indicative amounts as set out in para 1.12 in Appendix 1 and the Chief Finance Officer’s assessment of adequacy of reserves in section 1.12 in Appendix 1. That Council delegate authority to the CFO to adjust balances in 2018/19 after 2017/18 accounts are closed and the amount of balances carry forward required are known;

 

25                 Note the changes to the underlying financial strategy of the Council as set out in paragraph 1.4.20 within Appendix 1 and approved by Policy and Resources Committee;

 

26                 Note the budget movements as set out in paragraph 1.15 in Appendix 1 and approved by Policy and Resources Committee;

 

27                 Approve the write offs as detailed in paragraph 1.16 in Appendix 1;

 

28                 Approve the corporate risk register as set out in Appendix M;

 

29                 Approve the Corporate Plan – 2018/19 addendum attached as Appendix N, subject to any changes to the relevant appendices by Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee on 12 March or Community Leadership Committee on 15 March; and

 

30                 Note the establishment of a Collection Fund Smoothing Reserve as set out in paragraph 1.12.10 of Appendix 1 and approved by Policy and Resources Committee.