Issue - meetings

Item CB 18/5 referred from Cabinet minutes of 8 February 2018

Item CB 18/5 referred from Cabinet minutes of 8 February 2018

It was proposed by Councillor Coffin and seconded by Councillor N Heslop that the recommendations at Minute CB 18/5 be adopted.  In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No 8.5 voting was recorded as follows:

Members voting for the motion:

Cllr Mrs J A Anderson, Cllr O C Baldock, Cllr M A C Balfour, Cllr M C Base, Cllr Mrs P A Bates, Cllr Mrs S Bell, Cllr R P Betts, Cllr T Bishop, Cllr P F Bolt, Cllr J L Botten, Cllr V M C Branson, Cllr Mrs B A Brown, Cllr M A Coffin, Cllr D J Cure, Cllr R W Dalton, Cllr D A S Davis, Cllr Mrs T Dean, Cllr S M Hammond, Cllr Mrs M F Heslop, Cllr N J Heslop, Cllr S R J Jessel, Cllr D Keeley, Cllr Mrs F A Kemp, Cllr S M King, Cllr R D Lancaster, Cllr D Lettington, Cllr Mrs S L Luck, Cllr B J Luker, Cllr D Markham, Cllr P J Montague, Cllr Mrs A S Oakley, Cllr L J O'Toole, Cllr M Parry-Waller, Cllr S C Perry, Cllr M R Rhodes, Cllr H S Rogers, Cllr R V Roud, Cllr Miss J L Sergison, Cllr T B Shaw, Cllr Miss S O Shrubsole, Cllr C P Smith, Cllr A K Sullivan, Cllr M Taylor, Cllr F G Tombolis, and Cllr T C Walker

Total 45

Members voting against the motion:

Cllr T I B Cannon and Cllr B W Walker

Total 2

Members abstaining:

None

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute CB 18/5 be approved. 

Further to reports to the Finance, Innovation and Property Advisory Board and Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier in the cycle, the report updates Cabinet on issues relating to the Medium Term Financial Strategy and takes Members through the necessary procedures in order to set the Budget for 2018/19.

Further to the reports to the Finance, Innovation and Property Advisory Board and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier in the cycle, the joint report of the Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Transformation, the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Innovation and Property updated the Cabinet on issues relating to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and gave details of the necessary procedure to be followed in order to set the budget for 2018/19.  It also highlighted adjustments made to the Revenue Estimates presented to the Advisory Board and Committee. 

The Director of Finance and Transformation explained that the final local government settlement had now been received and did not differ significantly from the provisional settlement so the figures within the report would stand.  Reference was made to the Council’s previous decision to accept the four year funding settlement to 2019/20 offered by the Government and to the referendum threshold for 2018/19 which had been set at the higher of 3% or £5.

The favourable position regarding New Homes Bonus funding in 2018/19 was explained and reference made to the successful outcome of the Kent and Medway authorities’ bid for pilot status in respect of 100% business rates retention.  However, illustrative allocations up to 2019/20 were presented and a comparison of the Council’s Settlement Funding Assessment for the period 2018/19 to 2019/20 with those of the other Kent district councils demonstrated that Tonbridge and Malling continued to receive the lowest or one of the lowest Assessments both in total and per head.

The report also suggested a mechanism for responding to the technical consultation on the Fair Funding Review and referred to a forthcoming consultation on “Negative RSG” announced by the Secretary of State.

Attention was drawn to recommendations from Advisory Boards and the decision of the Licensing and Appeals Committee regarding the levels of fees and charges to be implemented from 1 April 2018 which had been incorporated in the draft estimates.  Members were reminded of the approach to preparation of the Capital Plan, an updated summary of which was set out at Annex 7 to the report.

The report then described the remaining procedure to be followed in setting the budget for 2018/19 and calculating the council tax.  For the purposes of updating the MTFS a council tax increase of around 3% in 2018/19 had been assumed, followed by an increase of £5 each year up to 2026/27 and 3% in 2027/28.  The Cabinet deliberated on the most appropriate guidance to offer the Council as to the way forward for updating the MTFS for the next ten year period and setting the council tax for 2018/19.  Members were advised of details of special expenses for 2018/19.

An updated copy of the Savings and Transformation Strategy was presented, including revised outline targets and timescales to be revisited and aligned with the latest projected “funding gap”.  Finally, the Director of Finance and Transformation explained the basis on which the statement as to the Robustness of the Estimates and Adequacy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5