Issue - meetings

To consider a report on the Medium Term Financial Strategy for Cheshire East Council for the four years 2020/21 to 2023/24.

(Note: This report has been circulated as a separate document to all members of the Council. Cabinet members are asked to bring their copies to the meeting.)

Cabinet considered a report on the Medium Term Financial Strategy for Cheshire East Council for the four years 2020/21 to 2023/24.

The resolutions that Cabinet was requested to recommend to Council were set out at Appendix A to the report. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) Report (containing the Budget) for the period 2020/21 to 2023/24 was set out at Appendix C.

The report had been considered by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 3^rd February 2020. Councillor J Clowes, Chairman of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported the Committee’s comments to Cabinet.

Cllr Clowes proposed two amendments to the Medium Term Financial Strategy on behalf of the Conservative Group. The first related to utilising Council-owned land for the creation of new car parking facilities on Macon Way, near Crewe Station. The second related to creating new assisted living accommodation and support for adults with additional needs on existing sites in the Borough, providing improved facilities for current service users, offering permanent supported living accommodation for young adults with additional needs, and offering the opportunity to provide accommodation for local service users whose care needs were currently being sourced at high cost outside of Cheshire East.

It was proposed that these proposals be included in the Capital Addendum to enable officers to carry out feasibility studies during 2020/21.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, IT and Communication thanked the Finance officers for their work on the pre-budget consultation and the budget itself.

RESOLVED

That

1.    subject to resolution 2 below, the items set out in Appendix A to the report be recommended to Council;

2.    the amendments proposed by Cllr J Clowes on behalf of the Conservative Group as outlined above be recommended to Council as amendments to the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2020-24 for inclusion in the Capital Addendum;

3.    Cabinet notes:

(a)      the summary results of the Budget Consultation, attached at Appendix B and the Budget Engagement exercise undertaken by the Council, as set out in the attached (Appendix C, Annex 2);

(b)      the comments of the Council’s Section 151 Officer, contained within the MTFS Report, regarding the robustness of estimates and level of reserves held by the Council based on these budget proposals (Appendix C, Comment from the Section 151 Officer); and

(c)      that the Council’s Finance Procedure Rules will always apply should any changes in spending requirements be identified (Appendix C).