Agenda item

– Report by Mr J Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance & Business Support and Mr A Wood, Acting Corporate Director for Finance & Procurement and Corporate Directors)

(1)    Mr Simmonds outlined the key elements of this report and highlighted the main pressures.  Despite these the overall position of the budget was similar to how things had been in the past at this time of the year.  Mr Wood said that if management of the budget continued as at present then there was no reason to think that the budget would not be balanced or have a small surplus at year end.  Mr Lynes referred to page 114 of the report and raised a question regarding call volumes and training for staff in the Contact Centre.  Ms Honey said she would look into these matters and also said a review of the Contact Centre was currently underway.

(2)    Mr Carter placed on record his thanks to officers for the work they were putting in to keep the budget on track.  He also said Cabinet Members and Corporate Directors needed to continue to focus on management actions in order to maximise opportunities and reduce pressures.  Mr Carter also asked for an update on Asylum matters to be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet. 

Cabinet resolved to:

(a)    note the latest monitoring position on the revenue and capital budgets,

               (b)       agree the changes to revenue cash limits within the ASC&PH & SCS portfolios to reflect realignment of budgets in line with 2010-11 outturn and changing trends of service provision.

               (c)        agree the changes to revenue cash limits within the EHW portfolio to reflect the restructure of KHS, revisions to waste contracts and realignment of budgets in light of the 2010-11 outturn.

               (d)       note that residual pressures are currently forecast within the SCS & CCS&I portfolios and management action is forecast to be delivered within the F&BS, BSP&HR and Deputy Leader’s portfolios.

               (e)       note and agree the changes to the capital programme,

               (f)         agree that £5.246m of re-phasing on the capital programme is moved from 2011-12 capital cash limits to future years

               (g)       agree the £0.300m transfer of funding from Preliminary Design Fees for the Improvement to Maidstone High Street

               (h)        agree the £0.274m transfer of funding from Broadmeadow Extension to Older Persons Strategy – Dorothy Lucy Centre

               (i)         agree the £0.080m and £0.045m transfer of funding from Tunbridge Wells Respite Centre and Bower Mount respectively to the LD Good Day programme

               (j)         note the latest financial health indicators and prudential indicators

               (k)        note the directorate staffing levels as at the end of June.

               (l)         note that the final split of Early Years’ budgets between “standards and quality assurance in early years settings” (ELS portfolio) and “provision of early years and childcare” (SCS portfolio) has not yet been resolved . As a transitional arrangement the entire budget is currently lodged in the SCS portfolio.

               (m)        agree a virement of £0.307m from the under spend on the debt charges budget within the Finance & Business Support portfolio to the Contact Centre and Consumer Direct budget within the Communities, Customer.