Subject:		Targeted Budget Management (TBM) Provisional Outturn 2020/21 – Extract from the proceedings of the Policy & Resources Committee meeting held on the 1 July 2021
Date of Meeting:		15 July 2021
Report of:		Executive Lead Officer for Strategy, Governance & Law
Contact Officer:	Name:	Mark Wall	Tel:	01273 291006
	E-mail:	mark.wall@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Wards Affected:	All

            For general release

Action Required of Council:

To receive the report from the Policy & Resources Committee for information.

Recommendations:

That the report be noted.

Brighton & Hove City Council

Policy & Resources Committee

4.00pm1 July 2021

Hove Town Hall - Council Chamber

MINUTE EXTRACT

Present:   Councillor Mac Cafferty (Chair) Appich (Joint Opposition Spokesperson) and Bell (Group Spokesperson)

Also present: Dr Anusree Biswas-Sasidharan, Standing Invitee

PART ONE

7 TARGETED BUDGET MANAGEMNET (tbm) PRIVISONAL OUTTURN 2020/21

7.1 The Acting Chief Finance Officer introduced the report which detailed the provisional outturn position (i.e. Month 12 year-end) on the council’s revenue and capital budgets for the financial year 2020/21. He noted that the council set aside a £0.750m risk provision to mitigate risks identified at the time of setting the budget. However, £0.575m of this was applied to meet the additional costs of the pay award, confirmed at 2.75%, and the remaining £0.175m has previously been released to support the forecast outturn position. The report also indicated that £2.909m (28%) of the substantial savings package in 2020/21 of £10.291m was unachieved. Most of this (£2.303m) was due to pressures arising from COVID-19 for which grant support has been provided.

7.2 Councillor Bell moved an amendment on behalf of the Conservative Group, which was formally seconded by Councillors Mac Cafferty and Appich.

7.3 Councillor Appich moved an amendment on behalf of the Labour Group, which was formally seconded by Councillors Mac Cafferty and Bell.

7.4 The Committee welcomed the report and thanked the officers for the work that had been undertaken during the year and in bringing the report forward. The Members of the committee also noted the Chief Finance Officer’s comments that were included with the amendments.

7.5 The Chair then put the Labour amendment to the vote which was carried by 2 votes to 1.

7.6 The Chair then put the Conservative amendment to the vote which was lost by 2 votes to 1.

7.7         The Chair then put the recommendations as amended to the vote which were carried unanimously.

7.8         RESOLVED:

(1) That the Committee note that the provisional General Fund outturn position is an underspend of £9.733m and that this represents an improvement of £4.921m compared to the projected and planned resource position at Month 19 taken into account when setting the 2021/22 budget.

(2) That the Committee note the provisional outturn includes an underspend of £0.989m on the council’s share of the NHS managed Section 75 services.

(3) That the Committee approve General Fund carry forward requests totalling £5.321m as detailed in Appendix 5 and included in the provisional outturn.

(4) That the Committee approve the proposed allocation of additional available outturn resources of £4.921m as set out in the table at paragraph 10.4 as adjusted for recommendation 2.9.1 and 2.9.2.

(5) That the Committee note the provisional outturn for the separate Housing Revenue Account (HRA), which is an underspend of £0.436m.

(6) That the Committee note the provisional outturn position for the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant, which is an underspend of £0.746m.

(7) That the Committee note the provisional outturn position on the capital programme which is an underspend variance of £7.132m.

(8) That the Committee approve the capital budget variations and re-profiling requested in Appendix 7.

(9) That the figures in 10.4 are amended as follows: The repayment of financial smoothing to be reduced to £2.450m, and that £0.020m be added to the corporate delivery plan risk provision, making available a total of up to £0.259m. The total fund to include consideration of the following projects:

· Park and Ride Project feasibility study - enhance the existing allocated budget to ensure that multiple locations can be explored with a view of linking this to planned transport hubs

· EV Car co-op Pilot setup costs - to set up pilot schemes in three initial locations

· Procurement / Community Wealth Building - to add to existing budgets to ensure the procurement team have capacity to deliver community wealth building by using the Council’s purchasing power at pace.

· One off investment to catch up with pavement weeds - funding for more city clean staff to clear up street and kerbside weeds and support and enable community initiatives to de weed and plant kerbside flowers in appropriate available ground.

· Tidy up teams funding increase - to allocate additional resources to deal with litter and graffiti issues

· Support for 20 mile an hour city - allocate funding for feasible local projects and interventions ahead of a city-wide scheme

· 20-minute neighbourhood initiatives - support a feasibility study and report to identify an area for a full-scale pilot scheme with measurable outcomes

· Investment in Parks - additional wilding & other projects - to include local wilding landscape schemes designed by park “friends”, adding fencing and other infrastructure as necessary

(10) That an additional provision of up to £0.030m be set aside from the available outturn resources for four specific projects:

· Women's safety - carry out a city-wide survey of how safe women feel in the city, and a study on how safe they are in the city, working with police and other agencies as necessary

· Care co-ops feasibility study - develop a model of co-operative care services for homecare in the city for older adults and those with disabilities, in co-production with client groups

· EUSS additional support for NRPF residents - identify problems our less settled / homeless communities will experience after 30 June as their status changes, working with existing voluntary and community organisations to provide support

· Marriage notices fee waiver - to extend the fee waiver for couples getting married until 31 March 2022

(11) That a sum of up to £0.055m be set aside from the 2021/22 Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) grant for the following:

· VCS Recovery fund - adding £0.020m funds for the voluntary and community sector as they come out of the pandemic – to be agreed by the members’ advisory group (MAG)

· One to one / small group catch up support/tuition: 1000 hours - £0.035m for one to one and small groups to help address attainment gaps

(12) That the Committee approve the creation of the Overdown rise Footpath Maintenance Reserve as set out in 9.10.

(13) That any unspent Corporate plan delivery risk provision or additional projects provision in 2.9.2 above be returned and be applied to reduce 2021/22 financial smoothing (i.e. to repay reserves).

(14) That the Committee delegate the allocation of the Corporate Plan Delivery Risk provision and the additional projects provision as set out in paragraph 2.9.2 to the Chief Finance Officer following consultation with the Member Budget Review Group as set out in paragraph 10.3iv).