Agenda item

(Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report on the Council Budget for 2024/25.

Notes

That a recorded vote is held on the recommendations contained within the report, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rule V3 ‘Voting at Budget Decision Council 18 February 2016 Meetings’ which directs Members to comply with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting there must be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that meeting the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting.

“Budget decision” means a meeting at which:

(a)        a calculation is made (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of the Sections 31A, 31B, 34 to 36A, 42A, 42B, 45 to 49, 52ZF, 52ZJ of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended; or

(b)        a precept is issued under Chapter 4 of Part 1 of that Act and includes a

meeting where making the calculation or issuing the precept as the case may

be was included as an item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

References to a vote are references to a vote not only on the substantive budget motions agreeing the budget, setting council taxes or issuing precepts, but also on any amendments proposed at the meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Economic Development, Cllr J Philip, presented the report of the Cabinet on the final draft budget proposals for 2024/25.

The Portfolio Holder informed the Council that the Medium Term Financial Plan in the Autumn had highlighted some issues with the Council’s budget for the next few years. These issues required addressing as the Council had a legal obligation to set a balanced budget. The Budget before the Council had been submitted to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for review on two separate occasions, before the final draft proposals had been considered by the Cabinet on 5 February 2024. The draft Treasury Management Strategy for 2024/25, and the draft Capital Strategy for 2024/25 to 2026/27 had been presented to the Audit & Governance Committee, who endorsed both Strategies.

The Portfolio Holder informed the Council that a late amendment had been made to the budget proposals, following the Cabinet meeting on 5 February 2024. It was now proposed to restore the Council’s grant to the Epping Forest Citizens Advice Bureau (EF CAB) to £152,400 and the Council’s grant to Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) to £30,000 for 2024/25. This would be financed by a reduction to the ‘Fit for the Future’ (FFTF) fund from £2.152million to £1.954million. This fund was intended for the improvement of the Council’s services to residents in the future. The Council’s reserves was projected to be above the target of £4million.

The Portfolio Holder explained that, although the Council had very recently agreed to sell a parcel of land at North Weald Airfield, the capital receipt generated by this sale could not be utilised for the Council’s revenue budgets; only the interest from it if the money was invested.

The Portfolio Holder thanked the members of the Cabinet, the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, the Audit & Governance Committee as well as the Council’s Finance Team for their efforts in preparing the budget, and the Portfolio Holder commended the proposed budget – as amended – to the Council for approval.

Members of the Council welcomed the restoration of the funding to the EF CAB and the VAEF, and the consultation with Members that had been undertaken during the drafting of the budget. Some concerns were raised about the Planning Service, the Homelessness service and the need to scrutinise the FFTF fund in the future.

Cllr J Philip highlighted the recent review of the Planning department by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), which should bring about improvements when their recommendations were implemented, and that the FTFF fund would have to deliver significant benefits for the Council in the future.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr C Whitbread, seconded the report on the draft budget proposals for 2024/25, and highlighted the retention of the Highways Rangers for another year, as well as the fact that the Council had the lowest Council Tax in Essex. The Leader commended the amended proposed budget to the Council for approval.

Resolved:

(1)        That the draft General Fund Revenue and Housing Revenue Account budgets for 2024/25, as presented in Attachment 1a of the report, including the amendment in Attachment 1b of the report, be approved subject to the following further revisions:

(a)        the restoration of the Council’s grant to Epping Forest Citizen’s Advice Bureau to £152,400 for 2024/25;

(b)        the restoration of the Council’s grant to Voluntary Action Epping Forest to £30,000 for 2024/25; and

(c)        the reduction of the contribution to the ‘Fit for the Future’ fund from £2.141million to £1.954million for 2024/25;

(2)        That the draft General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital programmes for 2024/25 to 2028/29, as presented in Attachment 1c of the report, be approved;

(3)        That the proposed Fees and Charges for 2024/25, including an average Housing Rent increase of 7.7% on Council Dwellings, as presented in Attachment 1d of the report, be approved;

(4)        That the updated General Fund Medium-Term Financial Plan for 2024/25 to 2028/29, as presented in Attachment 1e of the report, be approved;

(5)        That the Section 151 Officer’s report – in accordance with Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 – on the robustness of the estimates for the purposes of the Council’s 2024/25 budgets and the adequacy of the reserves, as presented in Attachment 2 of the report, be noted;

(6)        That the Section 151 Officer’s recommendation to maintain a minimum £4.0 million contingency balance in the Council’s General Fund Reserve in the medium-term, including a contribution to the Reserve as part of the General Fund revenue budget proposals for 2024/25, be approved;

(7)        That the draft Treasury Management Strategy for 2024/25, considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 15th February 2024 and as presented in Attachment 3 of the report, be approved; and

(8)        That the draft Capital Strategy 2024/25 to 2026/27, considered by the Audit & Governance Committee on 15th February 2024 and as presented in Attachment 4 of the report, be approved.

Recorded Vote:

For the recommendation as amended (43):

Cllrs I Allgood, C Amos, R Balcombe, N Bedford, P Bolton, R Brookes, L Burrows, E Gabbett, A Green, S Heap, S Heather, H Kane, S Kane, H Kauffman, J Lea, A Lion, J Lucas, M Markham, T Matthews, C McCann, C McCredie, L Mead, L Morgan, R Morgan, S Murray, C Nweke, M Owen,  L Paine, J Parsons, A Patel, J Philip, K Rizvi, R Sharif, D Stocker, D Sunger, B Vaz, C Whitbread, H Whitbread, J H Whitehouse, J M Whitehouse, K Williamson, D Wixley and S Yerrell.

Against the recommendation as amended (0).

Abstentions (0).