Issue - meetings

Item CB 19/5 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 February 2019

Item CB 19/5 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 February 2019

It was proposed by Councillor Coffin and seconded by Councillor N Heslop that the recommendations at Minute CB 19/5 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 Mrs S M Barker, Cllr M C Base, Cllr Mrs P A Bates, Cllr Mrs S Bell, 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 M O Davis, Cllr N J Heslop, Cllr D Keeley, Cllr D Keers, Cllr Mrs F A Kemp, Cllr R D Lancaster, Cllr D Lettington, Cllr Mrs S L Luck, Cllr B J Luker, Cllr D Markham, Cllr P J Montague, Cllr L J O'Toole, Cllr M Parry-Waller, Cllr S C Perry, Cllr M R Rhodes, Cllr Miss J L Sergison, Cllr T B Shaw, Cllr C P Smith, Cllr A K Sullivan, Cllr F G Tombolis and Cllr T C Walker

Total 35

Members voting against the motion:

Cllr T Bishop, Cllr T I B Cannon, Cllr Mrs A S Oakley

Total 3

Members abstaining:

None

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute CB 19/5 be approved.

Further to reports to the Finance, Innovation and Property Advisory Board and Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier in the cycle, this report updates the Cabinet on issues relating to the Medium Term Financial Strategy.  It also takes Members through the necessary procedures in order to set the Budget for 2019/20.

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 2019/20.  It also highlighted adjustments made to the Revenue Estimates presented to the Advisory Board and Committee and the suggested reviews of Disabled Facilities Grants, Public Health and Community Safety Partnerships.

The Director of Finance and Transformation explained that the final local government settlement had now been received and did not differ significantly from the multi-year settlement except for removal of the “negative RSG” payment for one year.  She indicated that this contributed to the relatively positive position for Tonbridge and Malling together with the fact that the baseline for payment of New Homes Bonus would remain at 0.4%, and the Secretary of State’s decision to maintain the threshold for triggering a referendum on council tax increase at the higher of 3% or £5.  However, Members were advised that the settlement should be viewed in the context of a lack of information about future years’ funding and impact on the funding gap which would have to be revisited in the light of the outcome of the 2019 Spending Review and Fair Funding Review.  In addition, the Kent and Medway authorities’ bid for the next pilot in respect of 75% business rates retention had failed despite the success of the previous pilot.

The report also suggested a mechanism for responding to two further consultation papers on the review of relative needs and resources and business rates retention reform published alongside the provisional settlement.

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 2019 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 2019/20 and calculating the council tax.  For the purposes of updating the MTFS a council tax increase of around 3% in 2019/20 had been assumed, followed by an increase of £5 year on year thereafter.  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 2019/20.  Members were advised of details of special expenses for 2019/20.

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  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5