Issue - meetings

(1)          The report identified the proposed strategy for determining next year’s budget and the financial plans for the following two years.  This included the latest indications of pressures likely to be faced by the EHW portfolio, suggested areas for service improvements and the savings that might be needed in order to set a realistic three year budget plan.

(2)                     Members were asked to review and comment on the overall strategy; the pressures identified for the EHW portfolio; and to identify their priorities for savings if each portfolio had to deliver a 10% saving on gross expenditure over the next three years.

(3)          In light of the national situation outlined in the report a budget strategy based on the following assumptions was proposed:

·        A £9m increase in formula grant for 2010/11 from £267m to £276m.  Thereafter estimating a 3% per annum reduction in cash terms.

·        A reduction in the growth in the council tax base due to additional households from 0.8% in 2009/10 to 0.5% pa for the period of the next MTP

·        As low an increase in council tax as possible.

(4)          The current budget for the portfolio under the oversight of this POSC was set out in the report, and provided for the following outcomes, outputs and/or service improvements:

·        Highways maintenance

·        Public transport

·        Road safety

·        Traffic management

·        Waste disposal

·        Environment including public rights of way, country parks and heritage and climate change response

·        Strategic planning (including transport planning)

·        Planning applications

(5)          RESOLVED that an Informal Member Group be established by the Chairman (see opening remarks), to identify and express relative priorities for services in EHW, giving broad indications of areas or types of savings and efficiencies that it considered could be realistically achieved.