Issue - meetings

To consider the recommendations from the Finance Sub Committee.

The Finance Sub Committee, at its meeting on 22 September 2021, had considered the Group Outturn 2020-21 report and made recommendations to full Council to approve the supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000, as detailed in Appendix 3, Annex D to the report, and approve the fully funded supplementary revenue estimates over £1,000,000, as detailed in Appendix 2, Table 1 to the report.

RESOLVED:  That, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules,

1            the supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000, as detailed in Appendix 3, Annex D, be approved, and

2          the fully funded supplementary revenue estimates over £1,000,000, as detailed in Appendix 2, Table 1, be approved.

To consider the Group Outturn report for 2020-21.

The Sub-Committee considered the Group Outturn report for 2020-21.

Before considering the report, the Chair drew members’ attention to page 44 in which the Director of Finance and Customer Services, Alex Thompson, had expressed his thanks to officers, services and organisations for their support and expertise throughout the 2020/21 financial year. The Chair wished to place on record her own thanks, and those of the Sub-Committee, not only to those mentioned in the report but also to Mr Thompson himself.

The report outlined how the Council had managed its resources during the 2020/21 Financial Year. It included a narrative from the Council’s Draft Group Accounts, to highlight financial performance within the year, as well as associated appendices to show how the Council had achieved against the outcomes contained within the Corporate Plan as well as other important financial matters.

The Outturn was reported as part of the Statutory Accounts and was therefore subject to audit. The audited Accounts would be presented to the Audit and Governance Committee on 25^th November 2021.

In response to questions from members, the Director of Finance and Customer Services advised that:

·         Officers had reported to the Children and Families Committee on the continuing overspend on children’s services and some of the reasons underlying that overspend, and this issue would continue to be a feature of future financial reporting.

·         The fact that there had been significant underspends in other areas, arising from the need to address the Covid pandemic, had enabled the Council to increase its general and earmarked reserves. This included £5m of unringfenced Covid grant which had been carried forward into the current financial year as an earmarked reserve for use in relation to Covid-related expenditure.

·         Expenditure on Covid-related areas in the current financial year would continue to be reported to the Government through the Delta returns and a link to the relevant financial information would be provided to members.

·         At the present time, all Covid-related expenditure by the Council had been met from Government grant funding and it had not been necessary so far to draw on funds from the General Reserve.

RESOLVED

That the Sub-Committee:

1.    notes the contents of the report and each appendix;

2.    approves Supplementary Capital Estimates up to and including £1,000,000 and Capital Virements up to and including £5,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 3, Annex C to the report; and

3.    recommends to Council to approve:

(a)  supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 3, Annex D; and

(b)  fully-funded supplementary revenue estimates over £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 2, Table 1.