Issue - meetings

To approve fully funded supplementary revenue estimates for specific grants coded directly to services over £1,000,000 and supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000.

Consideration was given to the report seeking approval of supplementary revenue estimates and supplementary capital estimates.

RESOLVED:   That Council approve

1          a supplementary revenue estimates for a specific grant coded directly to services over £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, as detailed in Appendix 1 Table 1 to the report - Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP): Skills Bootcamp - £1.037m.

2          supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report:

Table 1 - A500 Dualling - £20.755m

Table 2 - Maintenance Block – LTP - £6.235m

Table 3 - Managing and Maintaining Highways £2.300m

Table 4 - Northwest Crewe Package - £2.042m

Table 5 - North Cheshire Garden Village - £15.817m

Table 6 - Strategic Capital Projects - £11.087m

To consider a report which provides an overview of the Cheshire East Council forecast outturn for the financial year 2022/23.

The Sub-Committee received the report which provided an overview of the Cheshire East Council forecast outturn for the financial year 2022/23 as reported to Corporate Policy Committee on 6 October 2022.

A query was raised regarding paragraph 8.5.1 and whether any data was available relating to savings that may have been made through carrying staff vacancies. Officers undertook to provide this data following the meeting.

The Sub-Committee approved the recommendations based on the information contained in the report, and noted that a further update on the Council’s forecasts will be prepared after the Government’s Autumn Statement, and reported to Corporate Policy Committee on 1 December 2022.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

That the Sub-Committee:

1. Note the forecast adverse Net Revenue financial pressure of £11.6m against a revised budget of £328.4m (3.5%) as reported to Corporate Policy

Committee on 6 October 2022.

2. Note the forecast Capital Spending of £179.6m against an approved MTFS budget £185.2m due to slippage carried forward from the previous year.

3. Endorse the approach of Senior Officers to mitigate the adverse forecasts through the activities outlined in each ‘Action Plan’ contained in Annex 1 (Appendices 1 to 7), which include:

·         Managed restriction of in-year spending, whilst retaining essential

services, in consultation with the relevant Committee.

·         Reviewing the level of spending on key contracts and reviewing the

need for contract renewals during 2022/23.

·         Pricing and grant reviews to ensure income is being fully recovered on

related activity.

·         Enhanced vacancy forecasting and management.

·         Re-alignment of, and appropriate use of balances, such as earmarked

reserves, General Reserves and capital receipts.

·         Review and reprofile the Capital Programme to prevent any impact of

related inflation on the revenue budget.

4. Note the contents of Annex 1 and each of the appendices, and note that any financial mitigation decisions requiring Member approval will be presented to the appropriate Committee.

5. Approve supplementary capital estimates up to and including £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 6, Section 5 Capital Strategy, Table 5.

6. Set up a Task Group to review the financial assumptions that will underpin the preparation of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2023/24-2026/27.

7. Note that Council will be asked to approve:

7.1. Fully funded supplementary revenue estimates for specific grants coded directly to services over £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 6, Section 3 Corporate Grants Register, Table 1.

7.2. Supplementary capital estimates over £1,000,000 in accordance with

Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 6, Section 5 Capital

Strategy, Table 6.

8. Recommend Service Committees to:

8.1. Note the financial update and forecast outturn relevant to their terms of

reference.

8.2. Note that officers will seek to improve the financial outturn across all Committees to mitigate the overall forecast overspend of the Council.

8.3. Approve supplementary revenue estimates for specific grants coded directly to services up to and including £1,000,000 in accordance with

Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 2 Children and Families Committee, Section 3 Corporate Grants Register, Table 2.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36