Agenda and minutes

1.      RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2013 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman. 

1.      Mr Baldock raised a number of queries about the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2013. 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting on 12 November be deferred and considered at the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee. 

To be circulated on 14 January 2014 – Members are asked to bring their copy with them to the meeting.

1.      The Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement explained that there were extensive savings to be made by the County Council.  Continued Government cuts and increasing pressures on the County Council meant that the scale of the task to balance the budget should not be underestimated.    Reduced grants, increased costs and rising demand for services meant savings of over £250m would need to be found over the next three years. 

2.      Mr Wood gave a presentation on the 2014/15 Budget and 2014/17 Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).  POST MEETING NOTE:  Mr Wood’s presentation was circulated to Members on 29 January 2014. 

3.      One Member commented on the complexity of putting the budget together, each year it had got more difficult to produce a balanced budget which served the people of Kent well.  The ever increasing numbers of residents over the age of 85yrs presented a significant cost problem to the Council. In response to a question around whether the Council had allocated enough money for the increased number of people over 85yrs.  Mr Simmonds explained that extra money had been put into the adult social care budget, and that to the best of Members’ and Officers’ knowledge there was sufficient funding in the budget for changes in demography.

4.      There had been an increase in the money put into the adults with learning disability and in care budgets, a Member asked how the future need was predicted and allocated.  Mr Simmonds explained that the work the Council had undertaken with Newton Europe, an efficiency specialist, had helped to predict the future need in this area of the service.  Mr Wood explained that this area was a complex area to work through; past trends were used as an indicator of future demand.  It was possible to determine the numbers of young people transitioning into the relevant age brackets, and it was often necessary to look at individual cases to determine when they would be likely to enter the care system.  Within Children’s Services work was being undertaken to see where unit costs could be reduced.  In-house foster carers and permanent social workers would help to reduce the cost. 

5.      Members discussed the level of detail contained within the budget book and MTFP.  The majority of Members considered that the budget book contained an appropriate level of detail and that the subsequent explanation by the Director and Cabinet Member demonstrated the depth of skill which went into the process.  It was always possible for Members to arrange individual briefings with Officers and the Cabinet Member to discuss areas of the budget in detail. 

6.      Comment was made on the timing of the release of information from the Government, there was a very tight timescale in which to put together the budget information. 

7.      In relation to the cessation of the Kent Safe Schools project Mr Abbott confirmed that the three year contract ended in summer 2014.  Schools were now buying this service directly and so this specific contract had become duplicated.

8.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

1.      RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2013 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.