Issue - meetings

This report sets out estimates for income and expenditure on services in 2019/20.

The Committee recommended the 2019/20 service estimates, including the increases to the fees and charges set out in the report, for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2019.

Government reductions to the revenue support grant and welfare benefit changes had continued to create pressure on Council finances, and the Committee was informed that the Council’s budget strategy had been, as far as practical, to make operational and efficiency savings to minimise service reduction affecting residents.

For 2016/17 to 2019/20, the Council had agreed a four year Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and Efficiency Plan to maintain the financial health of the Council whilst delivering the priorities in the Corporate Plan. The recommendations in the report were consistent with the MTFS.

The figures presented in the report were final and representative of the provisional local government finance settlement. It was noted that any subsequent changes to service estimates should either be self-financing or produce a saving within the Committee’s overall recommended budget.

Having considered the proposals set out in Annex 1 to the report, the Committee recommended the 2019/20 service estimates, including the increases to the fees and charges, for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2019.