Issue - meetings

This report presents two sets of data from the City Strategy Directorate, the latest projections for revenue expenditure and capital expenditure for the City Strategy portfolio and Monitor 1 (2007/08) performance against target for a number of key indicators made up of:

·          Best Value Performance Indicators owned by City Strategy

·          Customer First targets

·          Staff Management Targets

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for City Strategy be advised to

(i)                 note the financial and performance position of the portfolio.

(ii)               recommend to the Executive to release a contingency sum of £400k to support pressure on Concessionary Fares and Planning budgets.

(iii)             write to the Government to express concern about the under funding of the Concessionary Fares scheme.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  In accordance with budgetary and performance monitoring procedures.

Members received a report which presented two sets of data from the City Strategy Directorate, the latest projections for revenue expenditure and capital expenditure for the City Strategy portfolio and Monitor 1 (2007/08) performance against target for a number of key indicators made up of:

§         Best Value Performance Indicators owned by City Strategy

§         Customer First targets

§         Staff Management Targets

The provisional outturn position for the portfolio showed an overspend of £+774k for the financial year. This was made up of key identified overspends totalling £+1,266k offset by identified savings totalling £-492k. It was recommended that the Executive Member request that the Executive approve the release of £400k of the contingency to support the City Strategy budget. If that was approved a forecast budget deficit would remain totalling £374k.

Members had the option of whether to support the request of a supplementary estimate from contingency or whether to require the Director of City Strategy to deliver alternative savings.

Members raised concerns about the under funding of concessionary fares and the level of recompense to bus companies which had to be funded. Officers reported that the bus companies had gone to arbitration over the level of recompense offered and had won their appeals. This would now set a methodology and would undermine the Council’s negotiating position in future.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for City Strategy be advised to

(i)                 note the financial and performance position of the portfolio.

(ii)               recommend to the Executive to release a contingency sum of £400k to support pressure on Concessionary Fares and Planning budgets.

(iii)             write to the Government to express concern about the under funding of the Concessionary Fares scheme.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:             That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  In accordance with budgetary and performance monitoring procedures.