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Lewes and Eastbourne
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Issue - meetings

General Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21, Capital Programme

Meeting: 24/02/2020 - Lewes District Council Full Council (Item 55)

55 Council Budget and Setting of the Council Tax for 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 99 KB

Report of Councillor Nicholson on behalf of the Cabinet.  Referred from Cabinet on 10 February 2020, incorporating the recommendations from the Cabinet reports on:

·         General Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21 and Capital Programme

·         Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Revenue Budget and Rent Setting 2020/21 and HRA Capital Programme 2019-23

·         Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators 2020/21, Capital Strategy and Investment Strategy

 

A copy of a General Fund amendment received from Councillor Linington is attached.  Any further amendments received by the deadline of 6 pm on 23 February will be circulated.  

 

Please note that the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 requires named votes to be taken and recorded when setting the annual budget and council tax, this to include on the substantive motions and any amendments.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council received the Council Budget and Setting of the Council Tax report for 2020/21, including the Section 25 Statement of the Section 151 Officer (Chief Finance Officer), a General Fund Summary and the recommendations from the meeting of Cabinet held on 5 February 2020, in respect of the:  

  • General Fund Budget 2020/21 and Capital Programme
  • Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Revenue Budget and Rent Setting 2020/21 and HRA Capital Programme 2019-23; and
  • Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators 2020/21, Capital Strategy and Investment Strategy

 

The recommendations 1 to 9 set out in the Chief Finance Officers’ report were moved by Councillor Nicholson and seconded by Councillor Carr. 

 

Councillor Linington moved and Councillor Burman seconded an amendment to recommendation 1 set out on the agenda papers: 

 

Amendment 1 - CLIFF (Coastal Loss Innovative Funding and Finance) Rapid Scoping Review   £10,000 – to join this project undertaken by Coastal Partnership East and Marsh to complete the work on considering potential finance or funding mechanisms to incentivise residents to relocate from high risk areas or provide financial protection to those that lose their homes. The first phase identified five potential financial options. The second phase will explore these in more detail and screen them for political sensitivity, financial viability, and social acceptability at different locations around the coast in England and Wales.”

 

Councillor Linington moved and Councillor Liz Boorman seconded a further amendment which had been circulated to Councillors: 

 

Amendment 2 - Wave Leisure Trust Ltd

£25,000 – to provide funding for one year towards two programmes that would otherwise be scaled back when Lewes District Funding ceases in April.  The first programme is the health and well-being rural outreach programme. The second is the youth activities in Newhaven including the activities that combat anti-social behaviour. The funding will be reviewed after six months.”

 

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Nicholson) presented her budget speech, and agreed to incorporate amendment 1 relating to the CLIFF Rapid Scoping Review in her budget recommendation.  As part of this speech she thanked the Chief Finance Officer and her team for the preparation of the budget.

 

Councillor Boorman spoke to Amendment 2 to recommendation 1 in relation to Wave Leisure Trust Ltd.  

 

The budget was debated by members from across the Council. 

 

Councillor Nicholson in summing up advised that she would not be supporting the amendment in relation to Wave Leisure Trust Ltd, as she had spoken to the Chief Executive of Wave Leisure Ltd that morning and understood the additional funding was not required. 

 

Amendment 2 (in relation to Wave Leisure Ltd) was put to a recorded vote (in accordance with statutory requirements) and declared lost by 16 votes to 20.  The recorded vote was as follows:

 

For the Motion: Councillors S Adeniji,  N Bikson, L Boorman, P Boorman,  R Burman, S Davy, L Duhigg, I Linington, J Lord, S Lord, R Maskell, J Miller, N Papanicolaou, J Peterson, K Rigden and I White. (16)

 

Against the Motion: Councillors G Amy, R Banks, M Bird,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55


Meeting: 10/02/2020 - Lewes District Council Cabinet (Item 62)

62 General Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21 and Capital Programme pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Report of Chief Finance Officer

Lead Cabinet member: Councillor Zoe Nicholson

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved (Key decision):

 

(1) To note the late issue of the Local Government Financial settlement on 6 February 2020 and to authorise the Chief Finance Officer to make the appropriate financial adjustments to inform the budget.

 

Recommended to Full Council (Budget and policy framework):

 

(2) To approve the General Fund budget for 2019/20 (Revised) and 2020/21 (original) set out at Appendix 1 to the report including growth and savings proposals for 2020/21 as set out at Appendix 3 to the report.

 

(3) To approve an increase in the Council Tax for Lewes District Council of £5 resulting in a Band D charge for general expenses of £192.08 for 2020/21

 

(4) To approve the revised General Fund capital programme 2020/21 revised as set out at Appendix 5 to the report.

 

(5) To note the section 151 Officer’s sign off as outlined in the report.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Finance Officer to agree the updated General Fund budget and updated medium term financial strategy (MTFS), together with the updated capital programme.

 

Thanks were conveyed to officers and the Leader for their work as part of the process in producing the budget.

 

In response to a question from visiting member, Councillor Burman around contingency planning, the Chief Finance Officer confirmed that there was an increase in unallocated reserves by around £300,000.

 

Cabinet unanimously agreed to an additional resolution and this was detailed at point 1 below.

 

Resolved (Key decision)

 

(1) To note and lament the late issue of the Local Government Financial settlement on 6 February 2020 and to authorise the Chief Finance Officer to make the appropriate financial adjustments to inform the budget.

 

Recommended to Full Council (Budget and policy framework):

 

(2) To approve the General Fund budget for 2019/20 (Revised) and 2020/21 (original) set out at Appendix 1 to the report including growth and savings proposals for 2020/21 as set out at Appendix 3 to the report.

 

(3) To approve an increase in the Council Tax for Lewes District Council of £5 resulting in a Band D charge for general expenses of £192.08 for 2020/21

 

(4) To approve the revised General Fund capital programme 2020/21 revised as set out at Appendix 5 to the report.

 

(5) To note the section 151 Officer’s sign off as outlined in the report.

 

Reason for decisions:

 

The Cabinet has to recommend to Full Council the setting of a revenue budget and associated council tax for the forthcoming financial year by law.