Venue: Council Chamber - City Hall, Bradford. View directions
Contact: Yusuf Patel/Fatima Butt
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DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST (Members Code of Conduct – Part 4A of the Constitution)
To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.
An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.
Notes:
(1) Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:
(2) Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.
(3) Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them. A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.
(4) Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.
Minutes: No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received.
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INSPECTION OF REPORTS AND BACKGROUND PAPERS (Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)
Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item. Certain reports and background papers may be restricted.
Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report.
If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting.
Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal.
(Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel - 01274 434580 434579) Minutes: There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.
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RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE To note any recommendations to the Executive that may be the subject of report to a future meeting. (Schedule to be tabled at the meeting).
(Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel - 01274 434580 434579)
Minutes: There were no recommendations to the Executive.
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LEADER OF COUNCIL & CORPORATE (Councillor Hinchcliffe) |
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PROPOSED FINANCIAL PLAN AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2023/24 PDF 315 KB The Budget proposals had been developed under an unprecedented level of uncertainty and financial
pressure. They sought to meet cost pressures arising from inflation
and growing demand; invest in support to the most vulnerable,
protect frontline services as far as is possible from cuts, and
retain capacity to deliver on the district’s ambitions for
clean and inclusive growth. Given the on-going uncertainty
around funding and the volatility of the external environment a
one-year budget is proposed. The Budget proposals
included:
additional income, and partner contributions as outlined in Appendix E and F to Document “AI”.
While increased Council tax and the use of reserves were in line with Government expectations for dealing with current financial challenges, they do not represent a fair or sustainable solution to those challenges. The Council will continue to lobby for the reforms and certainty required to secure financial stability and deliver the investment that the district needs.
A number of assumptions had been made about how national funding outlined by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement would apply to Council finances. The actual amounts to be received will be better known when the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities publishes the Provisional Local Government Settlement in late December 2022.
The Leader stated that the budget position was constrained going into 2023/24, with reliance being placed on drawing on reserves. Since 2010, £310m had been taken out of the Council’s budget, which had had a significant impact on service delivery.
Demand for services were growing, with critical pressures in Adults and Children’s Social Care. Child poverty levels in the district were increasing which would have a lasting impact. Despite proposed increases of 5% to Council Tax bills, the level of revenue raised remained relative, given the low Council Tax base and the majority of the district’s housing being in the lower Council Tax bands, compared with the affluent south.
Growing the economy was seen as the way out of poverty, however Government had to understand the financial constraints facing Councils and reform Local Government funding so the equity is restored.
The Council had a transformation policy which it was adhering to, but the pressures in Adult and Children’s Social Care remained a critical issue both locally and nationally, with the Local Government Association recognising the huge funding gap facing Councils up and down the country, therefore a sustainable way of funding Local Government was desperately needed. The Assistant Director for the Office of the Chief Executive stated that the aim of the budget consultation was to reach out to as many people as possible by using effective messaging, bespoke engagement and exploiting the online potential.
The Leader highlighted that the budget consultation process would run until the 25 January 2023, and she urged that residents and interested parties have their say on the budget and make their views known, and it was therefore:
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