Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services detailing the 2025/26 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services detailing the 2025/26 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

This report proposes a balanced budget, without utilising risk reserves or exceptional financial support and demonstrates the council living within its financial means for day to day expenditure. This is achieved through significant transformation savings built into budgets, additional central government funding and the continued culture of each directorate maintaining spending within their cash limited budgets.

The Council has requested an extension of EFS into 2025/26 to use unused components from the 2024/25 EFS. Although the 2025/26 budget is balanced without EFS, it will be needed for costs such as equal pay, transformation, and restructuring.

The proposed Council Tax for 2025/26 includes a 2.99% increase in core council tax and a 2.00% rise in the Adult Social Care precept, both within allowable limits without requiring a referendum. 

The recommendations therein, were moved by Councillor Letts and seconded by Councillor Fielker.

The Council agreed to suspend Council Procedure Rules 14.2, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7, 14.8, 14.9 and 16.2 for items 66, 67 and 68:-

(i)  to enable any amendments to be proposed, seconded and considered at the same time;

(ii)  to enable any amendment to be re-introduced later into the meeting; and

(iii)  to revise the time allowed for speakers as follows:-

Movers of motions - 30 minutes

Seconders - 10 minutes

Conservative and Liberal Democrat Groups – 30 minutes

Councillor Barbour – 15 minutes

Honorary Aldermen – 5 minutes

Right of Reply (Executive only) – 10 minutes

Councillor Blackman on behalf of the Liberal Democrats proposed an alternative / variation to the Administration’s Budget (appended to these minutes):

With the consent of the Lord Mayor, Honorary Alderman Barnes-Andrews  addressed the meeting.

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE EXECUTIVE’S BUDGET PROPOSALS WERE DECLARED CARRIED

RESOLVED that the 2025/26 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy be approved, as detailed in the report recommendations.

NOTE: All Members of the Council declared a pecuniary interest in the above matter, as payers and setters of Council Tax, noted the dispensation granted by the Monitoring Officer and remained in the meeting during the consideration of the matter.

NOTE - BEING PUT THE VOTE THE AMENDMENT PUT FORWARD BY THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS WAS DECLARED LOST.

NOTE - FOR THE AMENDMENT: Councillors Blackman, Chapman, Gravatt, Percival and Wood. 

NOTE – AGAINST THE AMENDMENT:  Councillors Allen, J Baillie, P Baillie, Barbour, Barnes-Andrews, Blatchford, Beaurain, Bogle, Bunday, Cooper, Cox, Denness, Evemy, Fielker, Finn, A Frampton, Y Frampton, Galton, Goodfellow, Greenhalgh, Harwood, Kataria, Kenny, Keogh, C Lambert, G Lambert, Laurent, Leggett, Letts, McCreanor, McManus, Moulton, Noon, Payne, Rayment, Savage, Shields, Stead, Webb, Whitbread, Windle and Winning.

NOTE – FOR THE SUBSTANTIVE MOTION: Councillors Allen, Barnes-Andrews, Blatchford, Bogle, Bunday, Cooper, Cox, Denness, Evemy, Fielker, Finn, A Frampton, Y Frampton, Goodfellow, Greenhalgh, Kataria, Kenny, Keogh, C Lambert, G Lambert, Leggett, Letts, McCreanor, McManus, Noon, Payne, Rayment, Savage, Shields, Webb, Whitbread, Windle and Winning.

NOTE – AGAINST THE SUBSTANTIVE MOTION: Councillors J Baillie, P Baillie, Barbour, Beaurain, Blackman, Chapman, Galton, Gravatt, Harwood, Laurent, Moulton, Percival, Stead and Wood.