Agenda item

Draft Budget Proposals 2019/20 – 2020/21

The report sets out for consultation and scrutiny the draft budget proposals for 2019/20 and 2020/21. It also sets out the overall financial position facing the Council for the next four years and highlights the significant risks, issues and uncertainties.

Decision:

RESOLVED:

i. Cabinet noted the overall financial position.

ii. Cabinet agreed to consult on the budget proposals as set out in Appendices A, B, C, D of the report.

iii. Cabinet noted that detailed information on each of the budget proposals as set out in Appendix E of the report.

iv. Cabinet agreed to consult on council tax increases of 4.99% in 2019/20, subject to the legislative uncertainty set out in the report, and 3.99% in 2020/21.

v. Cabinet endorsed the approach to consultation and scrutiny between October 2018 and January 2019, as set out in the report.

vi. Cabinet endorsed the changes to the technical budget assumptions underpinning the budget as set out in the report.

vii. Cabinet agreed the estimated Collection Fund balance relating to Council Tax for 2019/20 as a surplus of £0.9m and noted the current estimated balance relating to NNDR for 2019/20 as zero (no surplus or deficit) as set out in the report.

viii. Cabinet noted the position on the School funding reform proposals, as set out in the report.

ix. Cabinet noted the budget proposals for the Housing Revenue Account, as set out in the report.

Minutes:

Councillor M Butt (Leader of the Council) introduced this item and asked the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor M McLennan, to present the report. Councillor M McLennan stated that this report sets out for consultation and scrutiny the draft budget proposals for 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Councillor M McLennan stated that the budget would be agreed at the Full Council meeting in February 2019. She stated that the report also set out the overall financial position facing the Council for the next four years and highlighted the significant risks, issues and uncertainties. Councillor M Butt stated that the report set out the approach to consultation with residents, businesses and other key stakeholders.

Councillor Krupesh Hirani, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure, outlined the implications on the ring-fenced Public Health grant but also how Brent winning the London Borough of Culture bid would also attract funding.

Councillor ShamaTatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Highways, Planning, referring to a recent statement by the Prime Minister, stated that the implications of the Government’s austerity agenda were definitely not over in Brent. She stated that local authorities were being given more and more responsibility from central government but without the necessary funding meaning that the Council is now faced with hard decisions.

Councillor Amer Agha, Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment & Skills, stated that the Council was now being more creative in how it allocates funding. He highlighted that school results and inspection findings in Brent were now the best they have ever been thanks to dedicated staff, not increased budgets.

Councillor Eleanor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform, stated that residents should be assured that the Council is committed to addressing the housing crisis in Brent. Housing supply is the only solution. She stated that the Council would support those negatively affected by Universal Credit via the Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme.

Councillor Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, stated that there is no appetite in Brent to set an illegal budget. He stated that the Government’s austerity drive had impacted on all public services. He stated that although knife crime is falling in Brent, the crime epidemic in London was particularly worrying.

Councillor Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, stated that innovative solutions in response to austerity had been necessary in the Environment Directorate, for example the introduction of the Neighbourhood Manager role.

Councillor Mili Patel, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding, Early Help and Social Care, stated that the Government austerity drive had place the Children’s and Young People’s Directorate in a very difficult position.

Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, stated that the budget proposals represented extremely difficult choices in Adult Social Care.

Councillor M Butt, Leader of the Council, thanked Cabinet Members for their contributions. He then invited non-Cabinet members who wished to speak on this item.

Council Sandra Kabir, Queensbury Ward, thanked the Cabinet for the proposals, stating that the proposals represented painful choices. In response to comments about knife crime in Queensbury, Councillor Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, agreed to meet with the Queensbury Ward Councillors.

Councillor Robert Johnson, Northwick Park Ward, thanked Cabinet members for their proposals. He urged the Cabinet to engage with staff who know how services operate and where pressure points would be.

Councillor M Butt, Leader of the Council, stated that clearly, the financial context is exceptionally challenging. However, in developing draft proposals for consultation in even the most sensitive areas of service provision managers have sought to identify creative ways to achieve efficiencies without damaging service provision.

Councillor M Butt stated that Leaders of the London Boroughs had discussed the impact of Government Austerity at the London Council’s Leaders’ Committee meeting.