Agenda item

Report of the City Treasurer, attached (Schedule and Annexes set out in Additional Papers)

4.1     Steve Mair, City Treasurer, introduced the report.  He explained that detailed proposals were being submitted earlier than in previous years in order to allow for longer implementation and therefore achieve full year effect of savings.

4.2     Councillor Brian Connell, Chairman of the Budget Scrutiny Task Group, addressed the meeting.  He drew attention to the notes of the Task Group’s meetings included in the report.  He confirmed that the Task Group had undertaken detailed work and had found the budget to be robust.  The Equality Impact Assessments are important to take into account and he urged the Cabinet to ensure that they did so and that these were satisfactorily completed.  The Task Group had paid particular focus on the Adult Social Care budget and he encouraged the Adult Social Care P&S Committee to also pay particular attention to this given its size.  He thanked the Members and Officers who had given a significant amount of time to the scrutiny process.

4.3     Councillor Heather Acton advised that a “Healthier London” should be added to the consultations being undertaken by the Mayor of London.

4.4     The Leader thanked the Task Group and officers for all of their detailed work and referred to the larger than expected projected underspend at period 6 which was forecast to continue with year end.  Therefore, she proposed that this be earmarked for “My Westminster” community initiatives and projects during 2017-2018 and that a report be submitted to the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Corporate Services to approve the associated governance processes.

          Resolved:

          That Cabinet approve the following:

(i)              That budget proposals for the 2018/19 budget where relevant external consultations have been completed and as reviewed by the Budget and Performance Task Group as detailed in Annex A of the report.

(ii)            That in principle, the budget proposals for the 2018/19 budget where relevant external consultations have not been completed as separately listed in Section 16 is approved.  Such proposals will be further considered, by Full Council on 7 March 2018, once all consultations and EIAs have been completed;

(iii)           That the views of the Budget and Performance Task Group set out in Annex A of the report were considered as required;

(iv)           That the draft estimated cash limited budgets for each service with overall net expenditure for 2018/19 of £168.163m (as set out in Schedules 1 to 6 of the report) be noted.  These figures are draft and based on 2017/18 Period 6 budgets which may change before final budget setting is completed in March 2018;

(v)            That the Equality Impact Assessments included in Annex B of the report be received and noted to inform the consideration and approval of this report.

(vi)           That the Cabinet receives a further report in February 2018 which will finalise the budget for 2018/19.

(vii)         That the projected period 6 underspend be earmarked for “My Westminster” community initiatives and projects in 2017-2018 and the Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Corporate Services approve, via a formal report, the related governance processes.

          Reasons for Decision

          The presentation of this Budget Proposals report offers an early opportunity to note and approve budget changes for the 2018/19 financial year.  All proposals have been assessed for whether they require consultations and equality impact assessments, whether these have been completed or not and, where they have not been completed, timescales for completion.  Completed EIAs it was noted were available to all members at Annex B of the report, on the website and in the Members Room.