Meeting documents

To sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2016

The Minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2016 were agreed and signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee reviewed the draft 28 Day Notices for forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet and the Chiltern & South Bucks Joint Committee to be held on 11 April. It was reported at the meeting that the Amersham Multi-Storey Car Park Development Business Case would now be considered by the Cabinet at the 4 April meeting rather than on 7 February. The business case would now be considered by the Resources Overview Committee at the next meeting on 28 March prior to the Cabinet meeting on 4 April due to changes to the project timetable. A report setting out how the project had developed over time would also be considered by the Cabinet on 7 February.

RESOLVED:

That the draft 28 Day Notices be noted.

The Committee were asked to comment on the Revenue Budget 2017/18 report that would be considered by the Cabinet on 7 February. The Cabinet would be asked to make recommendations to Council on 28 February regarding the Council’s budget and council tax for 2017/18.

Members noted the borrowing costs shown at £98,000 in the 2017/18 Revenue Budget. These reflected the phasing of the Capital Programme projects which are planned to be financed by borrowing, which was subject to change in light of the business cases for those projects.

Whilst reviewing the Medium Term Financial Strategy the items listed as waste retender procurement costs and cost change were highlighted. It was noted that the procurement costs were the Council’s share of the waste retender costs arising from the expiration of the current joint waste contract in 2020. These costs could be met from the earmarked reserve and were not for the current waste service contract. The item listed as costs change affecting 2017/18 was separate from retendering costs, and reflected increased costs arising from changes to indexation and increases to the number of properties in the district.

In response to questions regarding how the Council was addressing the need to implement savings in 2019/20 and onwards the Cabinet Member for Support Services was invited to address the Committee. Members were advised that there were many variables which impacted on the revenue budget for future years, and that further clarity on the Council’s funding from the Government post 2019/20 was still required. The Council had however been looking at different savings options for a number of years and had already implemented changes that had helped push back the point at which significant additional savings were required. The Council was also continuing to explore more options that could be implemented prior to 2019/20.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and that the comments of the Resources Overview Committee be forwarded to the Cabinet.

Members were asked to comment on a report that the Cabinet would consider on 7 February and were asked to recommend to Council for approval. This set out the Capital Programme, which identified Council projects by Portfolio Area, and the Repairs & Renewals Programme, that outlined planned maintenance for the Council’s assets, both for the period 2017/18 to 2020/21. The Capital Strategy described how the Council would use and manage its capital resources to progress key Council priorities.

Members noted the new significant projects which included the Amersham Multi-Storey Car Park and Redevelopment of Chiltern Pools Leisure Centre. Whilst reviewing the repairs and renewals programme the costs of maintenance for King George V House (KGVH), the Council offices, and replacement IT equipment/alterations were highlighted. The maintenance for KGVH related mainly to roof and window repairs which were anticipated due to the age of the building. It was also clarified that the IT costs did not relate to issues with Updata, the Council external communications provider.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and the comments of the Resources Overview Committee be forwarded to the Cabinet.

The Committee were asked to advise the Cabinet to recommend that the Annual Investment Strategy, which set out how the Council managed its money, be approved and adopted by the Council. A key change was the move from being a debt free Council to borrowing from the Public Loans Board to progress key capital projects. There may also be a short term period where the Council had a cash surplus which would be invested in line with the Investment Strategy.

In light of the Council’s change in approach to borrowing to progress key significant capital projects the Committee requested that Treasury Management refresher training be provided for Members. It was suggested that a joint training session be provided for both CDC & SBDC Members.

In response to a question it was confirmed that the quarterly Treasury Management update reports set out the return on the Council’s investments, and the comparison with SBDC was included, which showed that there was now little difference between both Councils in terms of investment return.

Regarding the proposed capital projects relating to the Amersham Multi-Storey Car Park and the Redevelopment of Chiltern Pools Leisure Centre it was noted that the business cases for both projects were still subject to the approval from the Cabinet before any borrowing would be undertaken.

RESOLVED:

1.      That the report be noted.

2.      That treasury management refresher training be provided to Members.

3.      That the Cabinet be advised to recommend to the Council that the Treasury Management Strategy, including its appendices, listed below, be recommended to the Council for approval.

·         Appendix 1A - Annual Investment Strategy Policies

·         Appendix 1B - Prudential Indicators including the borrowing limits

·         Appendix 1C - the MRP method to be used in 2017/18

The Committee considered the Service Plan Summaries produced by each Head of Service/Principal Officer within the Council. These provided a summary of achievements from the current year and an overview of what each service aimed to deliver for 2017/18.

Thanks were expressed to Sarah Woods, Performance and Policy Officer, who would be leaving the Council that month.

The £25 charge for the cremation of a still born baby was questioned, and it was suggested that this be waived. Officers would seek clarification on whether the charge was required in legislation.

It was suggested that the financial Key Decision threshold for CDC and SBDC be harmonised. This was set in the Constitution for each Council, and the CDC threshold was currently being reviewed by the Governance & Electoral Arrangements Committee as part of their work of looking at the Council’s Constitution.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted, and the comments of the Resources Overview Committee be forwarded to the Cabinet.