Agenda and minutes

In the absence of the Chairman, this item was deferred until the next meeting.

Councillor Oliver was nominated to act as Chairman for the meeting by Councillor Newcombe. The nomination was seconded by Councillor Bowles.

RESOLVED –

That Councillor Oliver be elected Chairman for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Dhillon, Harris, Roy and Walsh.

Councillor Thomas substituted for Councillor Roy.  Councillor Martin Tett had been due to attend the meeting but had been invited to a meeting in Whitehall so had to give his apologies.  Cllr John Chilver and Cllr Steven Broadbent would answer questions in his absence.

There were none.

The minutes of the meetings held on 18 April 2024 and 15 May 2024 to be confirmed as a correct record.

A Member requested that the minutes be amended regarding the letter from the Audit and Governance Committee to state that the Finance and Resources Committee should consider the recommendations included in the external auditor’s letter.

Subject to this amendment, the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18^th April 2024 were agreed as a correct record. Additionally, the minutes of the meeting held on 15^th May 2024 were also agreed as a correct record.

Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in Buckinghamshire to put a question to a Select Committee.

The Committee will hear from members of the public who have submitted questions in advance relating to items on the agenda. The Cabinet Member, relevant key partners and responsible officers will be invited to respond.

Further information on how to register can be found here: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/your-council/get-involved-with-council-decisions/select-committees/

There were none

To review the Budget Monitoring Outturn 2023-24 Report.

Contributors:

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources

David Skinner, Service Director for Finance (Section 151 Officer)

Overall revenue position

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources introduced the Budget Outturn report for 2023 to 2024, making the following key points:

• Overall there had been a balanced revenue outturn after the use of £12.8 million in contingencies
• The position continued to be challenging with the largest strain on budgets coming from the provision of the key services. Noted overspends in portfolios were:

o   £7.2 million for Educations and Children’s services due to a shortage of foster carers and insufficiency of placements.

o   £3.6 million in Health and Wellbeing due to increased numbers of clients and rising costs of care packages.

o   £2.8 million in school transport costs due to the rise in the number of children with Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs).

o   £2 million in Homelessness and Regulatory Services due to increased demand for accommodation and above inflation price increases.

• Due to one-off income from revenue investments and a prudent approach to managing risks, the deficit had been offset by the use of corporate budgets. A balanced position had been achieved by the end of the financial year.
• Some portfolios achieved underspends, notably Affordable Housing and Resources which underspent by £1 million.
• A £10 million favourable variance was mainly due to income from interest rates. This was not a sustainable position as interest rates were predicted to fall.
• £12.7 million which remained in the contingency budget would be allocated back to reserves for the purpose of Member priorities and risk management.

Savings

• The target of £30.4 million for savings and income during the financial year had been very challenging but £25.8 million, or 85% of this had been achieved.
• The most significant shortfall was £5.8 million from the Energy from Waste plant. As this was a very volatile income stream, a specific reserve had been set up for this purpose.

Capital

• A final outturn of £115.4 million had been achieved against a budget of £122.9 million. The overall 94% delivery figure was the best performance against KPIs since the unitary council was established in 2020.
• A slippage of £17.2 million expenditure had been deferred to future years, the largest amounts being £2.3 million in Culture and Leisure spending of S106 funds and £1.6 million for the Gateway car par, which had since been purchased.

Debt

• Unsecured debt over 90 days saw a reduction from £14.9 million in Q3 to £12.9 million in Q4. Debt had continued to be monitored closely and an automated process for debt reminder letters had been introduced.
• 97.5% of invoices had been paid on time, compared with the target of 95%.

Questions from Scrutiny Committee Members were invited. During the discussion, the following points were noted:

• It was expected that the financial pressures detailed would continue into the forthcoming year.
• A cross-party group which had investigated income generation had identified a number of areas where income could be boosted and had investigated under-used resources. The group had delivered on the informal £1.1 million savings target which it had aimed for last  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To review the Quarter 1 Budget Monitoring Report and the Q1 Capital Budget Adjustments and Reprofiling.

Contributors:

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources

David Skinner, Service Director for Finance (Section 151 Officer)

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources summarised the report, making the following key points:

• The report covered the period from 1^st April 2024 to 30^th June 2024. The overall deficit stood at £6.5 million which equated to 1% of the budget.
• An adverse variance of £10 million was partially offset by £3.5 million positive variance from interest received. The positive variance was partly the result of the use of internal rather than external borrowing and also due to the fact the interest rates had remained higher than expected.
• The largest budgets pressures reflected those of the previous financial year:

o   £3.9 million for Education and Children’s services.

o   £2.8 million for Home to School Transport.

o   £2.1 million for Climate Change and Environment, due to income pressure and waste service costs.

o   £1.6 million for Health and Wellbeing due to the cost of transport and care packages.

• Thanks to prudent financial management, £22.1 million was available to meet future mitigation and revenue pressures.
• It had been forecast that 97% of the target savings would be met.
• Following a re-profiling exercise in May 2024, it was anticipated that 100% of the £199 million capital programme would be achieved.
• The overall level of debt had increased but the proportion of high-risk unsecured debt had fallen. Invoice payment targets had been met.

Questions from Scrutiny Committee Members were invited. During the discussion, the following points were noted:

• Action had already been taken to address the increasing deficit in the schools’ budget and additional funding had been received from central government. The acceleration was in line with the national picture and was partly due to increased costs and the increase in children with EHCPs. This item would be discussed further in the November committee meeting.
• There had been an increase in the number of looked-after children and the costs associated with placement had also increased. The issue would be addressed when in-house children’s homes are created. Where foster carers could be found for looked-after children, this was a better outcome for the child and the cost of care was lower.
• The £6.5 million budget variance was not cumulative and reflects the position at the end of the 2024-25 financial year. As 1% of the portfolio budget, it was a manageable figure and may be balanced by the end of the financial year.
• A Member noted the cost of maintaining the northern waste fleet and the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources explained that the waste vehicles which had been replaced by AVDC were nearing the end of their useful lives. £2.4 million had been allocated to purchase new vehicles. This was a rolling programme – the vehicles were not all replaced at once. Last year a failed procurement exercise had led to a delay in replacing a vehicle which resulted in increased maintenance costs.
• A Member queried whether the budget had been set at an insufficient level if there was already a deficit of £6.5 million. The Cabinet Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

For Committee Members to review and discuss the Q4 performance report for the Leader and Accessible Housing & Resources portfolios.

Contributors:

Councillor Martin Tett, Leader

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources

The Chairman invited comments from Councillor Steven Broadbent, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport, and Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources.

• The Deputy Leader outlined the three KPIs in the Leader’s portfolio, noting that they were all showing as green, noting the importance and employment rates and new business registrations to the economic vibrancy of the county. Examples of the ongoing strategic infrastructure works in the county could be seen on the road network, for example the roundabout works on the A413.

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources outlined the four KPIs shown in red in the report for the Accessible Housing and Resources Portfolio making the following key points:

• The customer satisfaction results for Council Access Points had shown an unexpected dip in Q4 which may have been due to a child continually pressing the negative symbol on the feedback screen. Customer satisfaction had been consistently above target in previous quarters. No complaints had been received and positive written feedback had been submitted by customers.
• The average call waiting times across all Customer Service lines had gone up slightly due to queries on Council Tax. The three minute waiting target was challenging and had only been exceeded slightly. A number of improvements had been planned, including the use of AI, the callback facility and webchat. There had been the possibility of scaling provision up during times of high enquiries.
• The value of unsecured debt had gone up but the recent introduction if automated debt reminders should make a significant impact. The value of debt had increased due to inflation. The Service Director for Finance noted that the value of unsecured debt had fallen to £10.7 million at 30^th June 2024.
• The average times for processing new Housing Benefit claims were below target, partly due to the closure of the computer system for a few weeks in the previous year. The more complex cases and time-consuming cases remained to be processed.

Questions from Scrutiny Committee Members were invited. During the discussion, the following points were noted:

• A Member asked for more detail of the level of sickness absence by department and requested that this be included in the work programme. The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources noted that sickness levels were marginally above the target of 8.5% and that seasonal factors such as coughs and influenza colds should be taken into account. The Council monitors sickness absence levels and provides targeted support, particularly to officers on long-term sick leave. The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources would be happy to provide more detailed figures to the committee in due course.

Action: Senior Scrutiny Officer

·       Central government had predicted that housing benefit claims would reduce as residents were migrated into the Universal Credit system. Claims have not reduced as much as anticipated as the rollout of Universal Credit had been slower than planned.

The Committee will consider and agree the draft work programme for the year ahead.

Contributors:

All Committee Members

• A Member asked if the six recommendations in the external auditor’s letter could be included in the work programme. The Service Director for Finance offered to look at this matter outside the meeting and liaise with the Scrutiny Officer. A Member asked if the letter could be circulated to the committee.

Action: Senior Scrutiny Officer                                                                           

·       Following from the previous item, a Member suggested a report on sickness absence be included in a future meeting.  

·       A Member asked for an update on the situation after the change in the Government. The Service Director for Finance explained that information would be considered by Cabinet and passed to the committee as it became available. It was noted that the preparatory work for Budget Scrutiny would make assumptions on Government policy as it developed. The Service Director for Finance explained that the budget scrutiny pack had been continually improved and that feedback would be listened to.

The next meeting will take place on 10 October 2024.

Thursday 10th October 2024 at 2.00 pm in the Oculus, The Gateway

To consider a report on home to school transport which was an area highlighted for further reporting during Budget Scrutiny in January 2024.

Contributors:

Councillor Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

Richard Barker, Corporate Director for Communities

Lindsey Vallis, Service Director for Transport & Regulatory Services

The Chairman welcomed the contributors:

• Councillor Steven Boadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport
• Ricard Barker, Corporate Director for Communities
• Lindsey Vallis, Service Director for Transport & Regulatory Services

The Cabinet Member for Transport introduced the report, making the following key points:

• Home to school transport was one of the top 5 main costs to the council.
• The service transformation journey had made considerable efficiencies however costs were expected to rise in line with national trends.
• The County Council Network had estimated that countrywide, councils spent £1.9 billion each year on home to school transport, with 74% of this cost being accounted for by transporting SEND pupils. The proportion of SEND pupils being transported in Buckinghamshire reflected the national figure. It had been estimated that SEND costs could triple over the next decade.
• In Buckinghamshire, 7,500 pupils were transported daily, mainly by bus, taxi and by carers who had been given Personal Transport Budgets (PTBs). PTBs were granted where this had been more appropriate for the family concerned and where the cost was no greater than a contracted place.
• The Spare Seats scheme, where school pupils who were not eligible for home to school transport could purchase spare seats on school buses, had contributed positively to the budget.
• The service transformation had ensured that all eligible children were provided for, and this had led to some routes being withdrawn where a cheaper option existed. This had the knock-on effect for non-eligible school pupils who had needed to make their own transport arrangements.
• In the last eight years, the school population in the county had grown by 10% yet the number of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) had increased by 86%. Each year, the demands, complexity of needs and costs had increased.
• Measures had been taken to improve systems and efficiency and the school transport team were also considering whether more safe walking routes could be provided so that fewer school pupils would need to be transported.
• The school transport team had worked constantly in a dynamic situation, dealing with referrals for school transport on a continuous basis and at pace. Assessments for school transport eligibility were undertaken by other teams which meant that the school transport team had needed to react quickly to changing demand. The Corporate Director for Communities added that the report had aimed to provide detail on the environment in which the school transport team operated and the national pressures which the service had experienced. In future, the focus would be on reducing demand and achieving maximum efficiency.

Questions from Scrutiny Committee Members were invited. During the discussion, the following points were noted:

• The eligibility criteria for school transport were heavily regulated and set out in statute.
• As EHCPs were unique to each child, the plans detailed what each child’s transport requirements were. This could be anything from a seat on a school bus to an ambulance with a carer and access to an oxygen supply.
• Decisions on eligibility for pupils in mainstream schools were made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that discussion will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Paragraph 3 – information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority that holds that information).

RESOLVED –

That pursuant to Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Minute No 11, on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act as defined as follows:

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) (Paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A, Local Government Act 1972) (The need to maintain the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure, because disclosure could prejudice the Council’s position in any future process or negotiations).

Members will have the opportunity to ask commercially sensitive questions on Home to School Transport.

Discussion of this item was continued in confidential session. A number of topics were discussed which included:

• A re-tendering exercise for home to school transport providers
• The introduction of new procurement rules for providers

·       The pressure that timetabling changes could put on school transport provision