Councillor Wearmouth, Deputy
Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services
gave a presentation to outline the approach being taken to set the
budget for the next financial year with focus on its key priorities
including achieving value for money, tackling inequalities and driving economic growth as well as
working towards net zero.
He outlined the consultation
process taking place between 12 December 2023 and 26 January 2024
which included presentations at all 5 of the Local Area Committees,
an online questionnaire, policy conference, briefings for the
political groups and individual meetings, and an online Question
and Answer session by the Leader on 31 January 2024. The
detail regarding initiatives and schemes would be presented at a
meeting of the Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee
which all members would be invited to. (A copy of the
presentation is enclosed with the signed minutes.)
Members were referred to 3
important documents which provided relevant information to the
budget consultation:
- Budget Engagement
2024/25
- Agenda papers for the
meeting of Cabinet on 16 January 2024
- Capital
Programme
The presentation
outlined:
- The sources of
revenue funding:
- Council Tax;
- Government
grants;
- Business Rates;
and
- Fees and charges for
services
- Options for achieving
a balanced budget.
- Background to the
Council’s finances.
- Proposals for all the
service areas including details of current budget pressures,
investments planned and proposals for what could be done
differently (the details were contained within the online Budget
Engagement documentation):
- Enabling
Services – savings proposed of £2.854
million.
- Adults – a budget
£235 million which included support to vulnerable adults to
live independently, a real living wage for
adults.
- Children, Young People and Education –
budget £269.2 million; savings proposed of £2.084
million.
- Public Health, Inequalities and Stronger
Communities – budget £32.8 million; savings proposed of
£0.7 million. A new provider Places for People Leisure
Management would take over Active
Northumberland next year.
- Place and Regeneration – budget £131.7
million; with a budget of £26 million for the LTP and
£26.9 million for cycling and walking.
Many areas of the Council were
experiencing:
- Increasing costs for
supplies and services including energy.
- Increasing demands on
Children’s and Education budgets.
- Increasing demand for
care and support to vulnerable adults and older
people.
- Interest rates had
also increased leading to a review of the Capital Programme.
The programme was funded by borrowing; for every £1 million
borrowed, the cost to the revenue budget was approximately
£0.088 million.
The following comments were
made in response to members questions:-
- The Authority’s
allocation for the social care budget would be
£3million. He was usure whether that money would be
used to reduce that part of the precept and would find out if the
funds being made available by the Government would be
ringfenced.
- Councillor Jeff
Watson should be contacted regarding the Innovative Library
query.
- With reference to the
cycling network being neglected in Cramlington and the use of
cycling routes for health and wellbeing
. The cycling and walking provision in Cramlington
would be made available through the LTP and other
funding.
- A case would need to
be made to increase the Local Transport
Programme.
- The Council had used
MORI in the past for user research.
- There were already
descriptors to explain what the pie chart was on the Council Tax
bills.
- The discretionary
spend would be mainly used for public health and
children.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.