Agenda item

The provided details of the council’s refreshed MTFS ahead of the budget setting process taking into account the Government’s one-year spending round announcement.  As part of this process the council has also reviewed its in-year and ongoing financial pressures to calculate the likely gap that will need to be addressed across the financial years 2020 to 2025. The report set out the process which will take place for 2020/21 and future years in order to achieve a balanced budget.

Following discussion on the London Living Wage for Freemantle staff who had been TUPE transferred to Your Choice Barnet the Chairman agreed to an item on the feasibility being brought back to the next Committee. This would be included in the Business Planning report

Councillor Barry Rawlings, duly seconded by Councillor Arjun Mittra moved the following amendment;

Upon being put to the vote the amended recommendations proposed by Councillor Barry Rawlings were declared lost. The vote was recorded as follows;

Upon being put the vote the remaining recommendations as set out in the report were agreed.

RESOLVED –

1.     Notes the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to 2025 as set out at Appendix A and the assumptions underpinning this in paragraph 1.5;

2.     Agrees to consult on the use of the Council’s flexibility to raise the level of General Council Tax by 1.99% in 2020/21;

3.     Agrees to apply a 2.0% Social Care Precept, to help fund care for the elderly as set out in section 1.5.9 in 2020/21;

4.     Agrees that the savings proposals as set out in Appendix B, subject to consultation and equalities impact assessment, come back to Policy and Resources Committee in February 2020 for referral to Full Council in March 2020 for final approval of the 2020/21 budget including Council Tax;

5.     Approve the Policy and Resources Fees and Charges as set out in Appendix F and outlined in paragraphs 1.3.1,

6.     Agrees the changes to the existing Capital Programme as set out in section 1.5 and Appendix C;

7.     Agrees to deleting and / or reducing schemes from the 2020/21 Capital Programme as set out in section 1.5;

8.     Agrees the process for Budget Consultation as set out in section 9;

9.     Agrees the bad debt writes offs as set out in section 1.6.14;

10.Notes the update on the London wide Business Rates Pool as set out in paragraphs 1.2.9 to 1.2.10;

11.Recommends to Full Council joining the London wide Business Rates Pool as set out in paragraphs 1.2.28-1.2.30.

12.Recommends that Council delegates responsibility to the Chief Finance Officer (S151) in consultation with the Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee to agree the arrangements for the London wide Business Rates Pool in the form of the Memorandum of Understanding as set out in paragraph 1.2.33.

13.Agrees implementation of the outcome of the review of contractual arrangements for the Brent Cross development scheme endorsed by Housing and Growth Committee on 26 November 2019, namely that integrated programme management and land delivery functions should move to the council and that regulatory planning and highways related to Brent Cross should remain with RE.