Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Atherstone, Clucas and Lewis.

There were none.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 December will be considered at the next meeting.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 16 December will be approved at the next meeting.

There were none.

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets – TO FOLLOW

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets apologised for the delay in bringing this item, which he said was due to the late government settlement and necessary adjustments to the funding formula resulting in a huge amount of work for the finance team.  He highlighted the following points:

-       we are witnessing the transfer of the burden of funding local government to local tax payers - in some ways a good thing, but coming with many limitations and less freedom than we would like;

-       the three-year settlement is welcome but a double-edged sword, effectively a real-terms funding cut, in addition to which the potential cost of local government reorganisation - likely to be around £2m – cannot be factored into the budget;

-       all reports, and the Q2 figures, point to £1.171m being required to balance the budget.  A whole host of reviews will be underway in the coming weeks to close the gap, with protection of front-line services and our most vulnerable residents the main priority, as always.  It will be a challenge, but we have faced and overcome similar challenges before.

Members thanked the excellent finance team and Cabinet Member for all their hard work in getting the report ready in such a short time and in such difficult circumstances, and made the following comments:

-       it is disappointing that the government has published these figures so late, and appalling that funding is being cut when costs are going up, placing a greater burden and challenges on local authorities – CBC is a well-run council but others will struggle;

-       the thoughts of residents and partners will be welcome - it is important that they engage with their town and council - to be followed in the new year by discussions on how we can protect and support our mandatory and discretionary services and work;

-       it is noted that CBC is proposing a council tax increase of 2.99%, well below the maximum 5.99% it could charge.  It is frustrating to read online comments which suggest that residents are being charged more and services are being cut, but this is not the case – CBC is not proposing the maximum increase, is not cutting any statutory services, and will hopefully be able to maintain its many discretionary services through this budget.  It will be interesting to see what comes back from the consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets confirmed that the three-year settlement is transferring the cost of local government to councils, with 75% of estimated income coming from local taxation.  The reduction in government funding means that the only way to protect local services is to put up council tax, but CBC’s increase is capped at 2.99% and would require a referendum to raise it any higher.

Members made further comments as follows:

-       these are really challenging times for officers and Cabinet Members, with so many issues to consider, not least the last-minute nature of the settlement which would not be contemplated in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

There were no updates on this occasion.

Two Members presented decisions taken since the previous meeting on 16 December:

i.              Renewal of lease at St James Car Park

Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

ii.            To award a contract to Smith’s (Gloucester) Ltd

Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling, Parks, Gardens and Green Open Space, Councillor Paul Baker