Issue - meetings

The Chief Finance Officer to present a report which provides details of the council’s overall finance and performance position for the period covering 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022, together with an overview of any emerging issues.

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

Reason:     to ensure 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 covering 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022, together with an overview of any emerging issues.

The gross financial pressures facing the council were projected at £8.7m; however, with mitigation and further action it was considered this could be reduced to a net position of £6.7m.  The main variations and proposed mitigating actions were summarised in Annex 1 to the report.  Serious underlying budget pressures remained across social care, and additional funding of £7.6m had been allocated to the 2022/23 budget in the People directorate.  The general reserve stood at £6.9m and a contingency budget of £1m was available to offset the forecast overspend.  Service delivery performance was summarised in paragraphs 18-24 of the report, and details of performance against the core strategic indicators in the Council Plan were provided in Annex 2.

In commenting on matters within their individual portfolio areas, Members thanked staff involved in reducing the number of empty council homes and processing support fund and rebate payments, and highlighted the chronic underfunding of social services at a national level.  The Chair echoed the need for government support, especially in ensuring sustainable funding for social care, and stressed that the council’s priority was to support its residents through difficult financial times.

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

Reason:     to ensure expenditure is kept within the approved budget.