Issue - meetings

(1)       Mr Abbott presented a report on the Autumn Budget Statement report to Cabinet on 17 September 2007.  He updated Members on the information received from the Department for Children Schools and Families on 12 November 2007 about the Dedicated Schools Grant and Minimum Funding Guarantee for the next three years.

(2)       Members were given the opportunity to ask questions and make comments on the Medium Term Plan and to consider suggested service pressures for the Directorate.  As part of this, the following were some of the issues raised:-

·                    Mr Abbott undertook to let Mr Law have details behind the figure £3.617m for pay as mentioned on page B2:5.

·                    It was pointed out that this was all part of a new developing process to have the quarterly monitoring budget reports to Policy Overview Committees as well as the Medium Term Financial Plan and as such, it would take time to settle this down and to get the most benefit from it for Members.

·                    Members stated that they did not want to be put in the position again of having to try and identify priorities but not having sufficient information to do so.

(3)       Members did not feel that they had adequate information at this stage to actually make suggestions around the areas and type of savings and efficiencies that they considered could realistically be achieved.

(4)       It was suggested that when the agenda for the next meeting was discussed cross party consideration should be given to ways of managing the large volume of work for this Committee which could include setting up Informal Member Groups to consider for example financial issues.

(3)       RESOLVED that the national and local context within which this MTP be set be noted.