The Strategic Director Corporate Services will submit a report (Document “G”) which gives Members an insight into the Council’s overall position at the end of the 2016-17 financial year by integrating finance and performance information. It provides a detailed statement of the final financial position of the Council at the 31 March 2017 as well as the annual outturn for the Corporate Indicator Set. The report specifically details how Services are performing within the context of the Council’s stewardship of its revenue resources.

Recommended –

That the Executive is recommended to:

(1)       Note the financial position of the Council reported for the year ended 31 March 2017.

(2)       Approve additional £0.314m better use of budget requests as outlined in Section 2.1 of Appendix 1 to Document “G”.

(3)       Note the performance position and endorse the actions to address the identified areas of underperformance in Section 1 of Appendix 1 to Document “G”.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate

The Strategic Director Corporate Services submitted a report (Document “G”) which gave Members an insight into the Council’s overall position at the end of the 2016-17 financial year by integrating finance and performance information. It provided a detailed statement of the final financial position of the Council at the 31 March 2017 as well as the annual outturn for the Corporate Indicator Set. The report specifically detailed how Services were performing within the context of the Council’s stewardship of its revenue resources.

The Policy Programmes and Change Manager explained that in relation to performance this was a retrospective look at last year’s performance and in summary, of the 43 indicators that have targets, 25 were on target, 8 were within acceptable variance and 10 were below target.

Details of those areas of good and improving performance as well as those areas of underperformance were alluded to and detailed in appendix 1 to Document “G”. 

In relation to Finance, the Strategic Director Corporate Services stated that in 2016/2017, the Council underspent the approved net budget of £378m, by £0.3m in line with previous forecasts.  The Strategic Director alluded to the significant variance within  the overall total, with Children’s Services overspending by £3.5m and a £3.7m overspend within Adult Services respectively, the details and the reasons for this overspend were set out in the report.  In addition the Capital expenditure together with the reserves position were also set out.

In conclusion the overall financial results were good as was performance, in the context of the difficult financial climate and the on-going reductions in Government funding.

During the discussion the Leader stated that this time last year the Council was posting a £6m projected overspend, and through a collective effort the budget had come on balance, and for this, she congratulated officers and Strategic Directors, however she asked the Strategic Director to comment on the reserves position. 

In response the Strategic Director stated that at 31 March 2017, unallocated reserves stood at £14.5m, and  that the Auditors were of the view that this had to be held as a minimum amount.

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder stated that in relation to Adult Social Care, the report demonstrated the complexity of what we do in social care in looking after the most vulnerable in society.  In addition the pressures in Adult Social Care were recognised as a national issue and in this context, the Council was not only performing well, but leading in good practice in a number of areas such as how we dealt with the issue of bed blocking.

In the area of Children’s Services, the service dealt with a complex issues and again the Council was performing well to protect vulnerable children in the district.

In the area of housing, the Portfolio Holder alluded to the good performance on delivering the number of affordable homes in the district as well as the number of private sector homes, exceeding the 850 target set in the Council Plan.

In relation to Regeneration, the Portfolio Holder highlighted that the Council was on target to achieve the number of new jobs created as a result of direct support from the Council, particularly in relation to job creation in the city centre.

The Deputy Leader commented that improving skills was a key area of focus for the Council which would enable people to be more prominent in the job market.  In addition more needed to be done to improve educational attainment levels in the district, and to this end the Council was focused, with a real impetus to deliver on the Education Covenant.

Improvements in kerbside recycling rates and the number of successful fly tipping prosecutions were also highlighted, and the support prosecutions had received from the Courts and the local press.

The Leader echoed the above sentiments, in particular the importance of supporting young people to achieve their potential as well as making education and regeneration a top priority for the Council.  However the Leader expressed a word of caution that all these achievements and ambitions had to achieved in a tight financial envelope.

Resolved –

(1)       That  the financial position of the Council reported for the year ended 31 March 2017 be noted.

(2)       That an additional £0.314m better use of budget requests as outlined in Section 2.1 of Appendix 1 to Document “G” be approved.

(3)       That the performance position be noted and the actions to address the identified areas of underperformance in Section 1 of Appendix 1 to Document “G” be endorsed.

ACTION:       Strategic Director Corporate Services

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate