Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 October, 2017, copy attached as an appendix.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of 10 October be approved as a correct record.

Councillor J Blake

Cabinet Member for Commercialisation and Business Transformation

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer: Maryvonne Hassall (01296) 585663

(a)          Decision(s)

That the progress made to date in implementing Phase 1 of the Connected Knowledge Strategy and the ongoing programme of implementation, be noted.

(b)          Reason(s) for Decision(s)

The report afforded Cabinet an opportunity to review progress with the Strategy.

(c)        Alternative Options Considered

None.

(d)       Relevant Scrutiny Committee

Finance and Services.  A similar report will be submitted to this Committee on 28 November.

(e)        Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

None

Cabinet received an update (in the form of a visual presentation) on the progress made with the implementation of the Connected Knowledge strategy, which was being introduced on a phased approach.  The strategy, which would be implemented over the period 2017 to 2022 and had been approved by Council in February, 2017.  The strategy would enable AVDC to continue to be at the vanguard on innovative digital solutions to service delivery, leading to savings for the customer and the generation of income through consultancy services to other councils.  Members were impressed with the reputation being gained by the Council in the implementation of digital technology designed to improve the customer experience and enable a more efficient service to be provided.

It was noted that further reports on the funding requirements for future phases would be submitted as part of the budget setting process.

RESOLVED –

That the Council’s commitment to the strategy be affirmed.

Councillor Sir Beville Stanier

Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer: Lindsey Vallis (01296) 585152

This item was withdrawn to enable the Council’s technical officers to consider further information from DEFRA and, if appropriate a further report will be submitted to a subsequent Cabinet meeting.

This item was withdrawn to enable the Council’s technical officers to consider recent information received from DEFRA.  It was noted that if appropriate, a further report would be submitted to a subsequent Cabinet meeting.

Councillor Mordue

Cabinet Member for Resources, Governance and Compliance

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer: Andrew Small (01296) 585507

(a)          Decision(s)

That the approach proposed in the Cabinet report for developing the 2018/2019 budget and the Medium Term Financial Plan, be endorsed.

(b)          Reason(s) for Decision(s)

To facilitate ongoing development of the budget for 2018/2019.

(c)        Alternative Options Considered

None as such.  The Cabinet report set out the current position and highlighted the issues that would need to be taken into account in finalising the budget for 2018/2019.

(d)       Relevant Scrutiny Committee

Finance and Services.  That Committee would be receiving a similar update at its next meeting.

(e)        Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

None

Cabinet considered a report setting out the high level issues facing the Council in developing budget proposals for 2018/2019 and in updating the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

The current MFTP for 2018/19 had been agreed by Council in February, 2017.  This had predicted the need to identify £1.4 million of savings in order to balance the budget for 2018/19, based upon the information available at that time and a set of assumptions around key variables within the budget.  These assumptions would be revisited and reviewed as part of the budget planning for 2018/19 and the following four years which made up the MTFP.

Local government, and most of the public sector, had been managing the consequences of the Government’s balancing of the public sector funding equation over the last seven years, whilst at the same time managing the expectations of residents.  With the recent General Election and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit and its impact, there had been some softening of the Government’s stance on austerity.  As a consequence, the Government’s long term targets for balancing the budget had been extended and there had been some new funding for some nationally high profile issues.

However, it was still considered unlikely that this would have any material impact on the targets which had been set for local government for the period up to 2019/20.  All indications were that austerity would continue for this sector well beyond this timeframe.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer had hinted at a landmark budget with a focus on issues such as housing growth.  The Autumn budget was due to be announced on 22 November and a re-prioritising of the Government’s agenda might have far reaching implications for local government.  However, the Government appeared committed to the four year settlement, so core funding seemed likely to be unaffected, but there remained many other mechanisms by which local government could be affected.  The tone of the report now before Cabinet was therefore still primarily focused around the delivery of efficiency savings and new income generation, as identified last year, but with an eye to the wider budgetary risks potentially facing the Council.

The report identified some of the key issues and areas that would need to be considered as part of the review and update process and set out the timetable for scrutinising and agreeing the budget and the MTFP.  The proposed timetable broadly followed the same format as in previous years and this was summarised in the report.

The ongoing work of officers and Cabinet Members under the wider commercial AVDC programme meant that the process could be condensed.  This should be achievable, as any strategic choices relating to the level or means of service delivery had already been debated and scrutinised throughout the year.  The restructuring programme recently completed had been the single largest facet of the commercial AVDC programme during the last 12 months.

The Commercialisation programme was being delivered as an ongoing four year programme of co-ordinated works and service reviews and not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.