Agenda item

Quarter 1 2021/22 Outturn Budget Report

Minutes:

The Chair asked the Finance Manager - Neighbourhoods and Climate Change to speak to Members in relation to the Quarter One Forecast of Revenue and Capital Outturn 2021/22 (for copy see file of minutes).

 

The Finance Manager - Neighbourhoods and Climate Change referred Members to the information relating to Quarter One 2021/22 with the service reporting a forecast underspend of approximately £114,000, against a revised budget of approximately £105 million, with COVID-19 costs of £3.5 million excluded from the forecast outturn position, those costs covered by Government COVID grant.  He noted while the costs were significantly less than the previous year, they were still required in particular to waste disposal costs.  He added the report broke down the figures by Heads of Service and the report also set out the variances.  It was explained that the forecast Cash Limit Reserve position at 31 March 2022 was £1.008

million after taking the latest outturn position into account and it was noted the amount was not earmarked and gave the service a level of flexibility in terms of any unbudgeted expenditure. 

 

The Finance Manager - Neighbourhoods and Climate Change noted the outturn also took account of the net use of earmarked reserves of £3.8 million, including a drawdown of approximately £4 million for future service initiatives such as waste procurement, Castle and Cathedral lighting and funding for AAPs from the Towns and Villages Reserve. 

It was noted there was a contribution of approximately £500,000 in relation to one-off unspent investments for the Find and Fix programme.  Members were asked to note a revised capital budget of £56.942 million, with a spend to date of £7.102 million with more detail of the Capital Programme at Appendix 3.  It was noted while the spend to date represented a small percentage of the overall budget, it was explained the spend was in line with the profile, with the majority of the capital budget to be spend in the remaining part of the year.

 

Councillor E Adam noted that previously Overview and Scrutiny budget reports included an additional appendix which set out further details as regards over and under spends and asked if it would be reintroduced or if it had been removed for a particular reason.  The Finance Manager - Neighbourhoods and Climate Change noted it had been removed in line with the reports produced for some other Committees, however, he noted he would take the feedback to the Head of Finance.  Councillor D Nicholls noted he felt that the level of detail was important and that if it was included for the Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee, he felt other Committees would also benefit from having that same level of detail included.

 

Resolved:

 

That the report be noted.