Agenda item

(Please bring with you to the meeting the Draft Budget and Medium Term Plan previously circulated)

– Report by Mr Paul Carter, Leader of the Council; Mr John Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance; Mr Peter Gilroy, Chief Executive; and Lynda McMullan, Director of Finance)

(1)       A supplementary report was circulated at the meeting which provided updated figures and consequent revised recommendations. 

(2)       The Chairman declared consideration of this item to be urgent as the updated report circulated at the meeting was not available at the time the agenda for this meeting was despatched. The reason for that was because the report needed to include the most up to date information and analysis on the final local government settlement figures, the final tax bases agreed by the Kent District Councils and the surplus or deficits announced by the District Councils Collection Funds. 

(3)       Following discussionCabinet Resolved that the following proposals be endorsed for submission to the meeting of the County Council on 18 February 2010:

(a)       the Revenue Budget proposals for 2010/11, as detailed in the additional report circulated at the meeting .  Cabinet also noted the proposed changes as a result of ABG, the equivalent band D tax base from the estimate included in the published draft Budget, and the surplus/deficit on the District Councils collection funds and endorsed the resulting change to the overall budget requirement.  

(b)       the revised budget requirement of £941.885m before the provision for unmet Asylum costs and deducting ABG and requirement for £4m to cover unmet Asylum costs.

(c)        a requirement from Council Tax of £568,090m before the provision for unmet Asylum costs and £572,090m including Asylum costs to be raised through precept on District Councils

(d)       Council Tax levels for the different property bands as set out below, representing an increase of 1.86% excluding Asylum costs (2.57% including Asylum costs) over 2009/10

(e)       the Capital investment proposals, together with the necessary borrowing, revenue, grants, capital receipts, renewals, external funding and other earmarked sums to finance the programme.  Delivery of the programme would be subject to the approval to spend on individual schemes and the level of Government support available in future years

(f)         the Prudential Indicators as set out in Appendix D of the draft Medium Term Plan 2010/13

(4)       Cabinet agreed the revenue and capital budget proposals for each of the nine portfolios of the County Council, as set out in the draft 2010/11 Budget and MTP 2010/13 (as amended as a result of the changes outlined in the  supplementary Cabinet report circulated at the meeting and summarised in Appendix 6 of that report) and recommended them to the County Council.  A revised 2010/11 Budget Book and MTP 2010/13 reflecting the changes in the amended supplementary report would be produced for the meeting of County Council on 18 February 2010.

(5)       Cabinet agreed the final recommendations on the level of Council Tax in light of any further progress on Asylum costs be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Finance in consultation with the Leader.  Cabinet also agreed that the final recommendations in relation to schools budgets and the DSG be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education