Issue - meetings

The Chief Operating Officer to present a report which provides details of the council’s overall finance and performance position for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 December 2021, together with an overview of any emerging issues.

Resolved:  (i)      That the finance and performance information and the actions needed to manage the financial position be noted.

                   (ii)      That the financial support for Make it York outlined in paragraphs 24 and 25 of the report be agreed.

                   (iii)     That the funding for the Anti-Racist City working group outlined in paragraph 23 be agreed.

Reason:     To ensure that expenditure is kept within the approved budget.

The Chief Finance Officer presented a report which provided details of the council’s overall finance and performance position for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 December 2021, together with an overview of any emerging issues.

The Covid-19 pandemic continued to have a significant effect on the financial position, particularly in social care, and on performance against some indicators.  The gross financial pressures facing the council were projected at £10m.  Through mitigation and further action to bring spending under control, it was considered this could be reduced to £4.5m by the end of the financial year.  The council had £6.9m of general reserves to call on should the out-turn not be within the approved budget, and it was estimated that £500k from other earmarked reserves could be released this year.  The position within each directorate was summarised in Table 1 at paragraph 18 of the report and detailed in Annex 1.  Executive approval was sought to allocate £5k from Brexit funds to establish an Anti-Racist group, in line with a motion approved by Council in October 2021, and £99.6k from Covid-related funds to Make it York, in line with a referral from Shareholder Committee on 22 November 2021, as set out in paragraphs 23-25.

With regard to performance, progress was reported against the core set of strategic indicators in the Council Plan.  Indicators with an improving direction of travel were summarised in paragraph 30and those with a worsening direction of travel, mainly due to the adverse effects of Covid-19, in paragraph 31.  Further details were provided in Annex 2.

In commending the report to Members, the Executive Member for Finance & Performance highlighted the lack of certainty with regard to future government support, work carried out to minimise variances in the mental health budget, and the positive direction of footfall and employment in the city.

Resolved:  (i)      That the finance and performance information and the actions needed to manage the financial position be noted.

                   (ii)      That the financial support for Make it York outlined in paragraphs 24 and 25 of the report be agreed.

                   (iii)     That the funding for the Anti-Racist City working group outlined in paragraph 23 be agreed.

Reason:     To ensure that expenditure is kept within the approved budget.