Issue - meetings

This report sets out budget estimates for income and expenditure for Environment Committee services in 2024/25.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Recommend the 2024/25 service estimates for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2024.

(2)          Support in principle the future savings as set out in section 5 of the report for inclusion in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

(3)          Note that potential Chalk Pit investigation works are being considered, in full, by the Committee at separate Agenda Item 10 of the agenda.

The Committee received a report setting out budget estimates for income and expenditure for Environment Committee services in 2024/25.

The Chair made a statement prior to consideration of the item:

The Chair stated, as set out at item 15 of the minutes of the Environment Committee of 17 October 2023, the Committee had passed a motion to ‘agree that an additional cost item be added into the Committee’s budget plans for 2024/25 for £40k to cover possible additional independent noise assessment works or other activities that may be required at the Chalk Pit site in Epsom’. It had since been brought to his attention that that motion ought not to have been allowed as it was contrary to the decision taken by the Strategy and Resources Committee (‘S&R’) in July 2023 – S&R passed a resolution, further to consideration of its budget setting report, requiring any proposals to add new items into a budget to have a funding option identified by the relevant Committee[DSO1] , which the Environment Committee did not do. He stated that the report before Committee sought to reconsider the issue, mindful of the budgetary framework set out by S&R at its July 2023 meeting.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Recommend the 2024/25 service estimates for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2024.

(2)          Support in principle the future savings as set out in section 5 of the report for inclusion in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

(3)          Note that potential Chalk Pit investigation works are being considered, in full, by the Committee at separate Agenda Item 10 of the agenda.