Venue: Council Chamber - The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions
Contact: James Harris on 023 9260 6065
Email: james.harris@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Webcast: View the webcast
Items
No. |
Item |
6. |
Apologies for Absence
Minutes:
Apologies were received from Cllr Abdul Kadir,
Cllr Gemma New and Cllr Scott Payter-Harris.
|
7. |
Declarations of Members' Interests
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest.
|
8. |
Minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2023 PDF 96 KB
RECOMMENDED that the minutes of the meeting
held on 16 January 2023 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as a
correct record.
Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on 16 January
2023 were confirmed and signed as an accurate record.
|
9. |
Overview of Portsmouth City Council Budget and Council Tax 2023/24 and Medium Term Budget Forecast 2024/25 to 2026/27 PDF 532 KB
(Information only
Item)
An overview of the budget will be provided by
Mr Chris Ward, s151 Officer.
An opportunity will be given to the panel to
ask questions.
The Panel may also put forward for
consideration at Cabinet any collective comments.
Members are advised that the budget papers
will be included in the agenda for the 21 February 2023 meeting and
are expected to be published on 13 February 2023 when they will be
available to view on the Council's website via the following
link:
Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 21st February, 2023, 12.00 pm
Portsmouth City Council
Minutes:
(TAKE IN A
PRESENTATION ON THE BUDGET)
The S.151 Officer introduced the item and
explained that the meeting was an opportunity for members of the
panel to ask questions on the proposals in the budget prior to it
being considered by Cabinet and recommended to Council for
approval. A copy of the presentation is
included as an appendix to these minutes.
In response to questions raised by the panel
the S.151 Officer:
- Explained that whilst it could
appear that local council tax support cases had been slowly
increasing following the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase of single
person discounts was part of a normal cycle. These discounts were regularly reviewed, at which
time the number usually fell before increasing and then falling
again at the following review.
- For budgeting purposes, the
Council's inflation pressure for 2022/23 was 9.6% and the budget
had been uplifted by 9.6% accordingly.
For 2023/24 the prediction was inflation to be an average of 5.5%,
starting higher in the year and then falling. Budgets would therefore be uplifted by 5.5%, on
top of the 9.6% for 2022/23. Whilst
inflation was predicted to decrease, it was important to note that
this reflected a slowdown of the increase in inflation, rather than
a reversal of the high inflation rates seen in 2022/23.
- The contingency included within the
budget was not specifically allocated but had been based upon the
predicted total cost of a worst case scenario.
- Whilst the replacement of 1,666
black bins seemed high, this figure had been based upon historic
actuals.
- In respect of high cost care
packages, once a certain threshold had been reached and became
classed as healthcare needs, any additional costs became the
responsibility of the NHS and the costs of the care package was
then shared. The increase above this
threshold therefore did not impact upon the council.
- Whilst the future of the council
continuing to be based in the civic offices was unknown, the CISCO
IT infrastructure costs contained within the Capital Programme was
needed due to this equipment reaching end of life. The equipment could be relocated though, so these
costs were not inextricably linked to the civic office
building.
- The purchase of Farlington Playing
Fields had been a strategic acquisition in order to protect the
site. In respect of the council's asset
register, a new Asset Management Strategy would be drafted in
2023/24 to ensure that the council had the right assets to deliver
its priorities.
- The proposed changes to adult social
care funding posed a risk, as uncertainty remained on what the
terms and conditions would be.
The Chair thanked the S.151 Officer for his
summary of the budget and the panel wished to place on record its
gratitude to his and the finance team's professionalism and hard
work.
Having sought the views of the panel, the
Chair advised that the panel did not wish to forward any comments
to Cabinet.
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