Agenda, decisions and minutes

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The Executive Member was asked to declare, at this point in the meeting, any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests or any prejudicial or discloseable pecuniary interest that she might have in respect of the business on the agenda.  None were declared.

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This report provides background information for the overall Financial Strategy and presents the draft savings proposals, growth assumptions and capital schemes for the Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio for consideration by the Executive Member before finalisation of the overall Financial Strategy, which will be presented to Executive on 11 February 2021.

Resolved:

(i)           That the feedback from consultation for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 5 to the report, be noted.

(ii)         That the following be agreed for inclusion within the overall Financial Strategy 2021/22 to 2025/26 to be presented to Executive on 11 February 2021 and Full Council on 25 February 2021:

a)   The 2021/22 revenue savings proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

b)   The 2021/22 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue growth proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 2 to the report.

c)   The 2021/22 HRA revenue savings proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 3 to the report.

d)   The new schemes for inclusion in the 2021/22 to 2025/26 Capital Programme, as set out in Annex 4 to the report.

Reason: To ensure that stakeholders have the opportunity to feed into the budget process in advance of the finalisation of the Financial Strategy 2021/22 to 2025/26.

The Executive Member considered a report that provided the background information for the overall Financial Strategy and the draft savings proposals, growth assumptions and capital schemes for the Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio.

The Chief Finance Officer was in attendance to provide an overview and she confirmed the Council were facing unprecedented financial challenges due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. She explained that the demand on Council services had increased and at the same time income from some services had fallen, generating in year financial pressures that required savings to be identified to maintain a stable and resilient financial position.

The Executive Member noted that the key assumptions for the overall Financial Strategy included a proposed basic council tax increase of 1.99% and an increase of 3% in line with the governments social care precept.

The Corporate Director of Economy and Place confirmed the overall proposals supported the Council Plan and he highlighted some significant investments which included, a new ICT system to improve the customer experience and increased insulation in the council’s housing stock to support the 2030 carbon neutral targets.

The Assistant Director of Housing and Community Safety highlighted the Annexes attached to the report and confirmed that the proposed budget would enable the Council to identify efficiencies, support residents to live at home for longer and develop new homes in the city.

The Executive Member recognised the continued long standing financial challenges and noted the proposed overall Financial Strategy.  She welcomed the investment into the Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio priority areas and the inclusion of the Covid recovery fund to support skills and retraining programmes. She agreed that sustaining the capital investment would be crucial to support York’s economic recovery and help create new jobs.

The Executive Member commended City of York Council employees for their continued support and work during the pandemic.

Resolved:

(i)    That the feedback from consultation for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 5 to the report, be noted.

(ii)    That the following be agreed for inclusion within the overall Financial Strategy 2021/22 to 2025/26 to be presented to Executive on 11 February 2021 and Full Council on 25 February 2021:

a)    The 2021/22 revenue savings proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

b)    The 2021/22 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue growth proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 2 to the report.

c)    The 2021/22 HRA revenue savings proposals for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods portfolio, as set out in Annex 3 to the report.

d)    The new schemes for inclusion in the 2021/22 to 2025/26 Capital Programme, as set out in Annex 4 to the report.

Reason: To ensure that stakeholders have the opportunity to feed into the budget process in advance of the finalisation of the Financial Strategy 2021/22 to 2025/26.