Councillor Emberson / Director of Resources

This report sets out the interim revenue and capital outturn positions for 2018/19 as at the end of March 2019, and performance against the measures of success published in the Council’s Corporate Plan.

The Director of Resources submitted a report setting out the interim revenue and capital outturn positions for 2018/19 as at the end of March 2019, as well as performance against the measures of success published in the Council’s Corporate Plan.  The following appendices were attached to the report:

·         Appendix 1 – General Fund Outturn;

·         Appendix 2 – Corporate Programme Savings Report;

·         Appendix 3 – Delivery Fund;

·         Appendix 4 – Performance Outturn; and

·         Appendix 5 – Capital Outturn and roll forward requests.

The report explained that the provisional revenue outturn for the General Fund at directorate level indicated a net overspend of £1.1m.  Within this Adult Care and Health Services were reporting an underspend of £0.434m, Children, Education & Early Help Services/ Brighter Futures for Children an overspend of £1.942m, Environment and Neighbourhood Services an underspend of £0.284m and Resources and underspend of £0.133m.  The report summarised the main budget variances within each directorate.

The report also explained that in addition to Directorate budgets there were a number of financing and corporate-wide budgets including income from Council Tax and Business Rates, Treasury and Capital Financing Costs, and Corporate and Contingency Provisions. The projected outturn on these Corporate Items was a £4.2m underspend against budget – predominantly the result of not being required to use contingency and risk provisions held to cover potential overspends.  It was therefore recommended that the overall net outturn of £3.2m be transferred to reserves, with £0.500m to further build general reserves and the remainder as specific reserves.

The provisional outturn for the Housing Revenue Account was a £2.9m underspend, due to rent collection rates being higher than budgeted and expenditure on reactive, planned and revenue funded major repairs being less than anticipated.  The General Fund Capital Programme showed a net underspend of £10.060m, with details set out in Appendix 5 to the report, and the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme showed an underspend of £3.636m.

The report also included a summary of performance, as at 31 March 2019, against the success measures published in the Council’s Corporate Plan. Key shifts in performance or significant variation from the target were explained in the report and the full suite of twenty nine measures and progress against targets as at the end of March 2019 were set out in Appendix 4 attached to the report. 

Resolved –

          (1)     That the following be noted:

(a)     The provisional General Fund outturn position: a £3.2m underspend, as at the end of March 2019;

(b)     The provisional outturn position on the Housing Revenue Account as at the end of December 2018 (a £2.9m underspend) and the lower net drawdown of reserves of £1.2m rather than the budgeted £4.1m;

(c)      The progress in achieving agreed savings proposals and the associated spend to support those changes contained in the Delivery Fund;

(d)     The use of the Capitalisation Direction to fund transformation (Appendix 3);

(e)     The capital outturn as detailed in Appendix 5 and approves the roll forward of variances into the 2019-20 approved Capital Programme;

(f)      The performance achieved against the Corporate Plan success measures as set out in paragraphs 10.1-10.6 and Appendix 4 attached;

(2)     That unspent contingency provisions of £3.2m be set aside to further bolster reserves - £0.5m relating to general reserves and the balance to earmarked reserves.