Decisions

The Leader:

NOTED the outcome of the Statutory Consultation;

APPROVED the making and introduction of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) as advertised, comprising of a De-Restriction Order for a section of the A355 Beaconsfield from Pyebush Roundabout to South of Beaconsfield Services.      

Cabinet were asked to consider the recommendations of the School Attendance Review Group which was formed to investigate the extent of school non-attendance within Buckinghamshire since the pandemic and to ascertain how schools and the local authority were working together to address the issue, which was currently a national concern.

RESOLVED – 

(1)   That the Rapid Review Group, as well as the supporting Officers, be thanked for their work and subsequent recommendations.

(2)   That Cabinet’s responses to the School Attendance Review 2024 and recommendations, as detailed at the meeting, be agreed.

Note: a complete breakdown of the scrutiny recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be found here

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This report set out the forecast Revenue and Capital outturn position for Buckinghamshire Council for the financial year 2024/25 as at Quarter 2.  The Council continued to experience significant financial pressures due to increases in demand, complexity of need and market insufficiency in key services, primarily High Needs Block (DSG), Children’s Social Care, Home to School Transport, Temporary Accommodation and Adults Social Care. These pressures were in line with those being experienced nationally.

The forecast revenue outturn position at Quarter 2 was an adverse variance of £8.4m (1.7% of Portfolio budgets) compared with £6.5m reported in Q1. This was primarily due to pressures in Education and Children’s Services around additional placements for Looked After Children, Transport Services linked to increases in demand in Home to School Transport and in Climate Change & Environment due to Waste Collection contract costs and income pressures in the Waste Service.  

Within the overall position there was an adverse variance of £14.3m (3%) in Portfolios (£10.0m last quarter) offset by a £5.8m (£3.5m last quarter) favourable variance in Corporate & Funding. The forecast for the Dedicated Schools Grant budget was an in year deficit of £13.1m (£7.7m Q1), primarily due to ongoing pressures within the High Needs Block. An Action Plan had been developed to address the significant issues in this area.

The forecast position on capital budgets £185.1m against a budget of £181.8m, a net accelerated spend of £3.3m (1.8% of the budget). £4.4m accelerated spend related to the Highways contract linked to Structures and Plane and Patch. The budget included an approved savings programme totalling £95.3m over 3 years with £41.3m of additional income and savings to be delivered in 2024/25.  Delivery of savings for 2024/25 (including in-year mitigations) was currently forecast at 98.1% after taking into account mitigations (97% last quarter) with £0.8m (1.9%) of unmitigated pressures included in the adverse variance reported above.

Actions would continue to be required to closely manage the in-year financial position.

Paragraph 2.3 of the report needed to be corrected to say £14.3m.

RESOLVED –  That the Quarter 2 Budget Management Report 2024-2025, and the risks and opportunities contained within it, be NOTED.

The quarterly performance report provided details of the key performance measures reported through the corporate performance framework for 2024/25 and the performance scorecard. which provided information on four key elements of performance for the Council covering Finance, Customer Service, Performance and Human Resources indicators. Within the performance report and performance scorecard, outturns which were performing at or better than target were classified as Green, those which were within 5% of the target were Amber and those which were more than 5% of the target were Red. At the end of Quarter 2, 91 indicators had outturns reported with a Red, Amber or Green status. Of these, 63 were Green (69%), 11 were Amber (12%) and 17 were Red (19%).

RESOLVED that the performance report be noted including the action taken to improve performance where required.

The Council’s Capital Programme for 2024/25 to 2027/28 was approved by Full Council in February 2024 as £666.264m.  The programme was revised to £674.977m following additions agreed by Cabinet in July 2024.    The report set out the recommended changes for approval and would result in the Capital Programme increasing to £686.639m.   Since the Budget changes agreed by Cabinet in July 2024, £2.007m of additions have had Leader or Cabinet decision approval (Denmark Street Future High Street project, Disposal of Old County Offices, Aston Clinton Traffic Calming Phase 1, and the Libraries Transformation Programme).  

The report recommended further changes which had been recommended through the Council’s Gateway process: 

• Additions of £10.237m for new projects of which £5.187m are externally funded from grants and s.106, and £5.000m for additional roads funding is to be transferred from the Revenue budget, as originally approved at full council due to the Capital nature of the works, and a further £50k for Aylesbury Town Centre Improvement works funded from the Economic Reserve.  

• Reductions of £0.582m, where external funding has been reviewed.

• A reprofile of the programme to align with current project delivery plans, including £24.487m is recommended to be reprofiled from 2024/25 to future years.  

RESOLVED that the recommended changes to the Capital Programme be approved:

1. £10.237m of additions to the Capital Programme, of which £5.187m are funded from ringfenced grants and s.106, and £5.050m is funded from ringfenced council reserves. 

2. £0.582m of technical adjustments from the capital programme for adjustments to external funding. 

3. The revised £686.639m Capital Programme, with £24.487m reprofiled from 2024/25 into future years.  

4. the release of funding of £3.222m relating to the projects set out in section 5 of the report.   

Recommendations:               

1.      To note that the Buckinghamshire Council has received a notice of intent to ballot from Globe Business Park BID (Marlow).

2.      To note that arrangements are put in place for a postal ballot and for the Returning Officer with the support of the Economic Development Manager, to appoint Civica to undertake this.

3.      The Corporate Director for Planning, Growth and Sustainability, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, be given delegated authority to vote ‘yes’ in the Globe Business Park BID ballot subject to ballot offers being satisfactory, and

4.      Subject to a yes vote, that the Corporate Director for Planning, Growth and Sustainability, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Members and service areas, be authorised to agree the detailed baseline service level agreements in line with the business plan submitted and any operational decisions required to enable the BID to commence from 1 January 2025.

The Leader:

1.          NOTED that the Buckinghamshire Council has received a notice of intent to ballot from Globe Business Park BID (Marlow).

2.          NOTED that arrangements are put in place for a postal ballot and for the Returning Officer with the support of the Economic Development Manager, to appoint Civica to undertake this.

3.          AGREED that the Corporate Director for Planning, Growth and Sustainability, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, be given delegated authority to vote ‘yes’ in the Globe Business Park BID ballot subject to ballot offers being satisfactory, and

4.          AGREED, subject to a yes vote, that the Corporate Director for Planning, Growth and Sustainability, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Members and service areas, be authorised to agree the detailed baseline service level agreements in line with the business plan submitted and any operational decisions required to enable the BID to commence from 1 January 2025.