Agenda and minutes
Venue: Boardroom - Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9 0FJ. View directions
Contact: Lisa Weaver, Democratic Services Officer 020 8937 1358, Email: lisa.weaver@brent.gov.uk
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Declarations of personal and prejudicial interests Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant financial or other interest in the items on this agenda. Minutes: None declared. |
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Deputations Minutes: None. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 68 KB Minutes: RESOLVED:-
that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 January 2014 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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Matters arising Minutes: None. |
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The draft budget 2014/15 The Budget and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee will discuss and make recommendations on the draft 2014/15 budget. Councillor Ruth Moher, Lead Member for Corporate Resources and Deputy Leader of the Council, will present the draft budget and answer questions from members. While the committee will lead the discussion, this meeting is intended to give all non-Executive members the opportunity to participate in the budget scrutiny process and raise any questions or comments they may have on the draft budget.
Minutes: Councillor R Moher, Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the draft budget 2014/15. She opened the presentation by outlining the approach to the 2014/15 budget which was underpinned by the One Council programme which focussed on back office efficiencies, procurement savings, protection of frontline services and recognition of the challenging years ahead. The Deputy Leader of the Council reminded members of the budget process that had been undertaken, which included a widespread consultation exercise of a budget simulator and focus groups as well as meetings held with lead members and directors to publish the budget proposals earlier than previous years. She outlined the current position regarding Council Tax in light of the latest Government Statement with changes to rules on referendum criteria and changes to the treatment of Council Tax freeze grant. It was explained that the proposed Council Tax freeze meant that Brent would have not increased council tax since 2009. Councillor R Moher continued by addressing the key budget issues in 2014/15 namely the pressures on in adult social care and average savings of 6.8% across all service areas whilst ensuring school places remained a key priority of the capital programme. Councillor R Moher continued her presentation by highlighting the budgets for each service area for 2014/15 and highlighted cost pressures and savings to be made for each. Councillor R Moher explained the risks of the budget for 2014/15 which included the impact of the welfare reforms, pressures from social care and the requirement to deliver savings of £18m.
Following queries from members it was clarified that the presentation was a summary of the budget position following the in depth presentations over the course of the year. Members queried whether there was scope to increase funding for children in secure accommodation. Councillor R Moher informed the committee that work was being undertaken with the West London Alliance to set up a contract to secure accommodation for all boroughs at a set level but also to undertake proactive work to avoid young persons going into secure accommodation. Queries regarding the funding for schools places were raised and it was clarified that all currently identified expansion projects had suitable funding. It was also noted that is some cases temporary accommodation would be more suitable to enable long term planning for school places to be undertaken. In response to queries regarding the impact of the recent economy growth, Cllr R Moher informed the committee that further cuts were expected for 2015/16 and it was unclear what funding streams would be available following the general elections although it was anticipated that it was not likely to improve. During discussions it was felt that residents were not always aware of what the Council did in terms of supporting vulnerable persons and were unaware of how their Council Tax was spent. Councillor R Moher felt that communication and engagement with residents needed to be improved including the area forums to ensure residents were well informed of the services that the Council provided and were ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Vote of thanks Minutes: The Chair thanked the Vice Chairs and officers for their contribution and support during the past two years whilst chairing the committee. |
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Any other urgent business Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Democratic Services Manager or his representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 64. Minutes: None. |
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Date of Next Meeting The next scheduled meeting of the Committee will be confirmed at the Annual Full Council meeting in June 2014. Minutes: The next meeting of the Budget and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be confirmed at the meeting of Annual Council in June 2014. |