Agenda item

To consider a report of the Director of Finance and Procurement.(Report to follow)

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Operating Officer relating to the first quarter review of performance 2017/18.  Councillor Paul Bates opened the item as the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Communities.  The report highlighted financial and non-financial pressures and performance in connection with the outcomes of the Corporate Plan 2016 to 2020.

A potential overspend of £17.7 million was being forecast, which was attributed largely to an increase in caseloads and costs associated with children in care.

Appendix 1 of the report set out details of how the Council was performing. The appendix was divided into 3 sections:

·         Section 1- Summary of Council Performance brought together the positive impact that service performance and financial performance had had on six residents first outcomes during the first year:

·         Section 2 – Financial Stability provided an update on the Council’s overall financial position. It demonstrated how spending in 2017/18 had been funded including service budgets, grants, council tax and business rates, treasury management, centrally held budgets and reserves.

·         Section 3 Workforce Development - provided a summary of the key issues relating to the Council’s workforce development plan.

The Chief Operating Officer, Section 151 Officer, Executive Director of Place and Acting Deputy Chief Executive and the Acting Executive Director for People and Portfolio Holders were questioned robustly, at length, on the contents of the report and sought additional information on the several matters which would be reported back to Members outside of the meeting, these included:

·         Requesting further details of challenges and low performance in addition to the top performing indicators;

·         Figures relating to the uptake of free nursery places across the borough;

·         Details of the number of  instances of fly tipping led to prosecutions;

·         Clarification of why Cheshire East has borrowed funds from other Authorities; and

·         Clarification on why £100,000 of Professional Services savings were unachievable.

The Chairman also read out and requested answers to each of the questions tabled, in advance, by Cllr S Corcoran who could not be present at the meeting.  The answers would be provided in writing to him and circulated to all members of the Committee together with answers to questions that Senior Officers were unable to answer during the meeting.

RESOLVED –

(a)           That the report be received;

(b)          That Cabinet be informed that this Committee acknowledges and understands that this is a very challenging year and that there is immense pressure on the Council's limited resources.  The pressure on the public sector this year is perhaps unprecedented particularly in Adult Social Care and Children's' Services.

(c)          That this Committee recognise that there are actions in place to address £7.7 million of the predicted overspend of £17.7 million and that ongoing work is taking place to mitigate against the remaining £10 million.

(d)          That the Council's four Scrutiny Committees will continue to help with the identifying of savings and of sorting and prioritising challenges within the Directorates and Portfolios.

(e)          That this Committees congratulations be extended to Officers and Members concerned for their continued hard work towards producing a balanced budget for the Council in these very challenging times.

(f)           That Cabinet be asked to formally acknowledge these comments in the minutes of the meeting.