Issue - meetings

To consider proposals to consult on the Budget Setting Consultation process to explore all options available to increase income to enable reinvestment in front line services.

The Cabinet Member considered proposals to consult on the Budget Setting Consultation process to explore all options available to increase income to enable reinvestment in front line services.

Adult Services anticipated severe budget pressure following the Comprehensive Spending Review announcements, in addition to the £450k additional income required by Cabinet over the next 3 years 2010/11 to 2012/13 (phased £100k/£150k/£200k). These targets were part of the existing 2010/11 Medium Term Financial Strategy that had been rolled forward.

The wider reductions to the Adults service net budget needed to be considered; in the first 4 full years of operation of Cheshire East Council from 2009/10 to 2012/13 reductions of almost £10m were anticipated. The Comprehensive Spending Review announcement would further exacerbate this position.  

A major strand of achieving these targets would be moving from commissioned care packages to personal budgets for new and existing service users, as consulted on in 2008/09 "The Personalisation of Services".

In order to provide a range of options to meet the challenge, a formal public consultation was required in respect of changes to the Non-Residential Charging Policy and the Scheme of Delegated Charges. 

RESOLVED

That

(1)   Adult Services commence public consultation within the Business Planning Process to explore a range of options to raise additional income through changes to the Charging Policy and Scheme of Delegated Charges; and

(2)   a report on the outcome of the consultation be submitted to the Cabinet.