Agenda and minutes

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Leisure Services, seeking approval for the Housing Revenue Account budget proposals and long term business plan, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 12/13 9603)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member forHousing and Leisure Services, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  To consider the report and agree that the recommendations, as set out below, be made to Council at the meeting on 13 February 2013.

(ii)  To approve, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, capital spending of £1,000,000 in 2012/13 on a contribution to major investment works at Rotterdam Towers, subject to Council agreement to add a scheme of this value to the Safe, Wind and Weather Tight section of the HRA Capital Programme.

(iii)  To approve, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, a transfer, within the Estate Regeneration section of the HRA Capital Programme, of £1,325,000 from the Estate Wide scheme to create a Weston Enabling Works scheme, phased £700,000 in 2013/14, £375,000 in 2014/15 and £250,000 in 2015/16

Report of the Cabinet Member for Resources, seeking to set out the latest estimated overall financial position on the General Fund Revenue Budget for 2013/14 to 2015/16 and to outline the main issues that need to be addressed in considering the Cabinet’s budget and council tax proposals to Council on 13 February 2013, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 12/13 9619)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member forResources, Cabinet agreed the following:

(a)  Note the position on the estimated outturn and revised budget for 2012/13 as set out in paragraphs 21 to 32.

(b)  Note the position on the forecast roll forward budget for 2013/14 as set out in paragraphs 40 to 68.

(c)  Note and approve the arrangements made by the Leader, in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000, for the Cabinet Member for Resources to have responsibility for financial management and budgetary policies and strategies, and that the Cabinet Member for Resources, will in, accordance with the Budget & Policy Framework Rules as set out in the Council’s Constitution, be authorised accordingly to finalise the Executive’s proposals in respect of the Budget for 2013/14, in consultation with the Leader, for submission to Full Council on 13 February 2013

(d)  Recommends that Full Council:

  i.  Notes the Consultation process that was followed as outlined in Appendix 1.

  ii.  Notes the Equality Impact Assessment process that was followed as set out in paragraphs 17 to 20 and that the additional detail in Appendix 2 which will be available prior to the Full Council meeting on 13 February 2012

  iii.  Approves the revised estimate for 2012/13 as set out in Appendix 3.

  iv.  Approve £200,000 in 2012/13 for highway maintenance, to be met from balances which will be replenished by a contribution of £200,000 from regeneration funding from previous years which is no longer required and can now be released to revenue.

  v.  Notes the transfer of funds to the Council under S256 agreements with the NHS Commissioning Board in 2013/14 for £4.0M from the Health transfer funding and for a minimum of £0.6M with NHS Southampton City from the re-ablement / post discharge services as set out in paragraphs 33to 36.

  vi.  Notes that a new ring-fenced grant will be received in 2013/14 to support the Council’s Public Health responsibilities being transferred from the Southampton PCT and that at this stage it has been assumed that this funding will meet the cost of providing the transferred service and therefore will not have any impact on the Council’s total net revenue budget requirement as set out in paragraphs 37 to 39.

  vii.  Notes the position on the forecast roll forward budget for 2013/14 as set out in paragraphs 40 to 68.

  viii.  Notes that the Executive’s proposed budget as set out in this report has taken into account the recommendations of Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and of Scrutiny Panel A: Welfare Reforms and the amount transferred to the Council for the transition of the Social Fund for 2013/14 and 2014/15 is to be allocated solely for the use of developing local welfare provision.

  ix.  Approves an additional draw from General Fund Balances of up to £0.5M in 2013/14 if required during the year.

  x.  Approves the revenue pressures set out in Appendix 5.

  xi.  Approves the addition  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Resources, seeking to set out the latest estimated overall financial position on the General Fund Capital Programme for 2012/13 to 2015/16, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 12/13 9618)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member forResources, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  Approve the revised General Fund Capital Programme, which totals £140.3M (as detailed in paragraph 4) and the associated use of resources.

(ii)  Note the changes to the programme as summarised in Appendix 2 and described in detail in Appendix 3.

(iii)  Note the slippage and re-phasing as described in detail in Appendix 3.

(iv)  Note the transfer of the Southampton New Arts Complex (SNAC) scheme from Housing & Leisure Services Capital Programme to the Leader’s Capital Programme.

(v)  Add £400,000 to the Children’s Services Capital Programme in 2013/2014, to be funded by Council Resources, to ensure that the expansion of Bassett Green Primary school achieves the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) rating of excellent, in accordance with the Council’s planning policy.

(vi)  Add £480,000 to the Resources Capital Programme in 2013/14 for the demolition of Oaklands school to be funded by direct revenue financing.

(vii)  Delegate authority to the Chief Financial Officer, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resources to add a further £100,000 to the Resources Capital Programme for the demolition of Oaklands school if required to be funded by direct revenue financing, bringing the total scheme up to a maximum of £580,000.

(viii)  Add £2,821,000 to the Environment & Transport Capital Programme in 2013/2014 for the Roads Programme to be funded by direct revenue financing.

(ix)  Add £1,616,000 to the Environment & Transport Capital Programme in 2013/2014 for Integrated Transport schemes to be funded by government grants.

(x)  Add £1,701,000 to the Environment & Transport Capital Programme in 2013/2014 for Highways Maintenance schemes to be funded by government grants.

(xi)  Note that additional temporary borrowing taken out in 2010/11 and 2011/12 due to cash flow issues, totalling £11.9M, is expected to be repaid by the end of 2013/14 when anticipated capital receipts are finally forecast to be received.

(xii)  Note that the revised General Fund Capital Programme takes into account the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) for 2011/12 and future years as updated by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement announced in December 2012.

(xiii)  Note that in addition to the forecast capital receipts that are assumed as a key element of funding the capital programme presented for approval, there will be additional receipts which will flow from the enhanced sale of assets programme as this comes to fruition.  Towards the end of 2013/14 it should be possible to better estimate the amount and timing of these forecast additional receipts.

(xiv)  Note the financial and project issues which are set out in paragraphs 31 to 36 and detailed in Appendix 3 for each Portfolio.