Finance and Performance Scrutiny Sub-Committee - Tuesday 24 September 2024, 4:45pm - Folkestone & Hythe webcasting

Finance and Performance Scrutiny Sub-Committee
Tuesday, 24th September 2024 at 4:45pm 

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Share this agenda point
  1. Cllr Connor McConville
  2. Ms Jemma West
  3. Cllr Connor McConville
  4. Cllr John Wing
  5. Cllr Connor McConville
  6. Gavin Edwards
  7. Cllr Connor McConville
  8. Cllr Laura Davison
  9. Gavin Edwards
  10. Cllr Connor McConville
  11. Cllr Laura Davison
  12. Gavin Edwards
  13. Cllr Connor McConville
  14. Cllr Alan Martin
  15. Gavin Edwards
  16. Cllr Alan Martin
  17. Gavin Edwards
  18. Cllr Connor McConville
  19. Cllr John Wing
  20. Cllr John Wing
  21. Gavin Edwards
  22. Cllr John Wing
  23. Cllr Connor McConville
Share this agenda point
  1. Mr Ola Owolabi
  2. Cllr Connor McConville
  3. Cllr Alan Martin
  4. Mr Ola Owolabi
  5. Cllr Connor McConville
  6. Cllr Alan Martin
  7. Cllr Connor McConville
  8. Mr Ola Owolabi
  9. Cllr Connor McConville
  10. Cllr Tim Prater
  11. Cllr Connor McConville
  12. Cllr Laura Davison
  13. Mr Ola Owolabi
  14. Cllr Laura Davison
  15. Mr Ola Owolabi
  16. Cllr Connor McConville
  17. Mr Ola Owolabi
  18. Cllr Connor McConville
  19. Mr Ola Owolabi
  20. Cllr Connor McConville
Share this agenda point
  1. Mr Ola Owolabi
  2. Mr Ola Owolabi
  3. Cllr Connor McConville
Share this agenda point
  1. Mr Ola Owolabi
  2. Cllr Connor McConville
  3. Cllr Laura Davison
  4. Cllr Laura Davison
  5. Mr Ola Owolabi
  6. Cllr Connor McConville
  7. Cllr Connor McConville
  8. Cllr Laura Davison
  9. Cllr Connor McConville
  10. Mr Ola Owolabi
  11. Mr Ola Owolabi
  12. Cllr Connor McConville
Share this agenda point
  1. Mr Ola Owolabi
  2. Cllr Connor McConville
  3. Mr Ola Owolabi
  4. Cllr Connor McConville
  5. Mr Ola Owolabi
  6. Cllr Connor McConville
  7. Mr Ola Owolabi
  8. Cllr Connor McConville
  9. Mr Ola Owolabi
  10. Webcast Finished

Cllr Connor McConville - 0:00:03
welcome to the meeting of the Finance and performance for performance Scrutiny Sub-Committee this meeting will be webcast live to the internet, for those who do not wish to be recorded or filmed, you'll need to leave the Chamber for members officers and others speaking at the meeting, it is important that the microphones are use our views on the webcast and others in the room making.
for anyone with a mobile phone police switched to silent as they can be distracting. I would also like to remind Members that, although we have strong opinions on matters under consideration, it is important to treat members officers and public speakers with respect. Thank you and thank you to Members for making this rescheduled meeting and that's a little bit out of the usual usual hours, so thank you very much thank moving to our agenda item number 1 apologies for absence,
carers received apologies from Councillor Brett.
Ms Jemma West - 0:00:52
thank you very much.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:00:54
the number 2 declarations of interest to any members have anything they wish to declare Councillor, when thank you, Chair, just AC Director of tennis.
Cllr John Wing - 0:01:05
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:01:06
thank you very much and I will declare a voluntary interest as a director of Oracle Parkhill OP, although we might be make any decisions that affect the finances events.
but no one else OK,
item number 3, the Quarter 1 performance report and attached KPIs, and which we introduced as this one for us, is given. Thank you. Thank you
Gavin Edwards - 0:01:29
very much and good evening members. This report provides an update on the Council's performance for the first quarter of the 24 24 financial year and it covers the period the 1st of April to 30th of June 2024, and the report enabled the Council to assess progress against the approach, can performance indicators arising from the Council's over action plan. The quarterly performance report we set out in Appendix 1 in front of you and where performance is not the Mayor, explanations have been given for the relevant service needs and noted within the report. You will know that in the report in the cover report with sexual break now provides a summary of the Council's performance, showing the proportion of KPIs on target range of the strategic ambitions. At the end of quarter 1, the report once is considered by Members. This evening will then be presented to Cabinet on the 16th of October, and I'm happy to take any questions the Committee might have. Thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:02:14
thank you very much given okay and I'll opening up Councillor Davidson.
Key charging for the introduction, and we had quite a good discussion
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:02:22
at the last meeting around KPIs for this forthcoming year, we really helpful, just for our kind of clarity, would you be able to just updating somewhere they changed in response to that conversation that we had a where they spoken tweaked just that would be helpful thanks.
thank you for your for your common error, Councillor Davidson, with
Gavin Edwards - 0:02:46
regards to be conversation we had the last time round, there will be some of being particularly enforcement models were mentioned where we've taken leave the targets of particularly because we know that one exactly very salt per acting in that sense so we've taken those of so you'll see no target on a lot of those there now.
with regards to believe there was another one around environmental forceful when we talked about the desperate differential between private and public land, I've had those conversations with the borrowing recruitment team when they don't hold that direct information with regard to the actual split, so we can't obviously do anything with regards around that and with regards to some of the other ones. Obviously I did provide some responses back to the Committee from the meeting following the 2nd of July, some of the questions that the adults are there as well, but apart from that the majority of the KPIs have status, as you have seen them, when they came forward to you on the 2nd of July.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:03:42
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:03:47
as went into your Paul yeah, just we have practices customer between housing targets and again, is a loss of red on this section Rameau reviewing these this quarter.
sorry, that's an ongoing issues of concern, the number of homeless approaches where there's no target in the grid
therefore bracketed includes triage prevention. Remuneration decision cases be helpful just to have a breakdown of the number of its in their under each of those headings. If you, if you have that information, not not necessarily to hand, but that will be visible and then in terms of the long-term empty homes brought back into use. Again, I think we discuss that that the target has come down. Obviously the number that's in their actually need to multiply that across a year we might hit the on target without reduction and but just in terms of having some more data around that, I think the answers that you helpfully provided between the meeting and said that the information is held as to
what long-term empty homes there are within the district, so would it be possible to her back, quantified and also broken down by ward,
so again, thanks for your your comments in regard to that, with
Gavin Edwards - 0:05:07
regards to obviously the homeless and the predatory she mentioned Dan Councillor Davidson, we can look to make sure that we can get that breakdown with regards to the the the triage, etc will will have that information to hand, and I can make sure that that goes into the night is moving forward with that will help to try and quantify that approaches right down there with the long-term empty homes. I don't have the information by ward or what I can give you now, and I can go back and have a check with that with relevant officers. I can confirm, obviously, with the 27 that's mentioned in the report, that obviously for the breakdown. So in some areas in the district zone for the 27 22 of those properties that are long-term empty homes, missing Folkestone Hyett was three of them and to was me rolling in terms of the overall, but in terms of the physical breakdown beyond, that would have to have those conversations with the officers without even the constantly 22 23.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:05:54
any woman councilman.
Cllr Alan Martin - 0:05:59
thank you very much, the first comment I wanted to make was that the KPIs did look.
have much better this time round and I would spend another time talking about them and show these things, we will never fill their their perfect, but I found it much easier to read through this time than I have done on previous occasions. I'd actually forgotten about the fly tipping point that we we raised and I'll just like to come back to you on that actually because the enforcement officers would know whether that's on private land or not, because that dictates whether or not they they collect, it will lead me to the to the to the landowner
so I'd quite like us to go back on that one and one and get people to actually capture that, and I've got a live case in the front of my mind from IB Church last week, where the there's a big fly tipping that happened.
the former, knowing that the council wouldn't pick it up, did exactly what I my concern would be Gwyneth reported this at full Council, then that is the farmer thought well, what's the point in reporting this because it councils not gonna, take it away?
when enforcement officers came up because another one of my residents had actually raised it and it was a dump that had letters and documents in it with equals, addressing so he had some valuable.
evidence that could be used in enforcement, but when enforcement officer turned up, the farm had already dispatched it.
and therefore that's a the first example of actually being able to point to where we've actually missed out on an opportunity, I think, to to introduce an enforcement work.
so I think it's important anyway, sorry, though that wasn't going to be more point, I had a couple of quite quite quick ones, if I may, for first of all on the
on the recycling.
so we were struggling with the recycling metric.
and I just wondered what we're doing in terms of Further Education guidance on on that. Just last week I stood in more teaching bemused, holding a chicken kiev rapper, which waiter is used to have as a plastic container, and I knew what been to put that Ian, but it's they've just converted into cardboard now I personally caught remind cardboard in her opinion I wouldn't feel happy putting raw chicken
producing, and I spent at least 5 10 minutes trying to work out what to do with it, and I put it in the
in no waste, unfortunately, but I think increasingly you're seeing shops playing around with their wrappings, and that's quite a fluid area, and I think people are increasingly confused as to what to put where in the default is, to put it in the in the in the general waste and I'm not sure what guidance were providing to so people on that.
Gavin Edwards - 0:08:57
paragraph. Thank you Councillor, multiple your comments on that. With regards to, obviously, the one would be the fly tipping and at the breakdown between public and private Annenberg, happened to go back and have a further conversation with the Environmental Protection team around and obviously balancing the comments you made about the the situation. Nariño Abbey church with regards to the recycling, yet we do there is a lag in terms of the the data that we are. We do get and obviously we've now seen Liverpool. Obviously, the final month of quarter 1, which is obviously journeys, is not available yet that is obviously to be to be processed and verified. So that's what we provided the quarter for position there for you instead, in terms of the wider guidance you mentioned in some
that is a fair point and able to woo the example that you made, I would obviously have to go back and have some further conversations with the the Waste Services Team with regards.
Ted, I believe there may be some contracted campaigns that we're doing around recycling on, on social media, etc but I'm very happy to got back from this Insight provider response to the Committee on that as well in terms of the actual aplenty gardens, to encourage more every talking to come forward.
and then just on Rough Sleepers.
Cllr Alan Martin - 0:10:05
so it is really sad to see that that number so high.
I wonder if we can probe into that picture a little bit better, so I am aware of one case without getting into the specific details of it on on the Romney Marsh, where I honestly don't think the Council and the police actually could have done much more than what they've done to how someone they've actually provided housing since gone into housing and they keep coming back to the same feel that they are there currently.
living in on occasions, if anything is more of a police matter, because there's some anti-social behaviour start to look at that goes on,
and and I just wonder whether identity, quite what the metric would be, but whether there is a metric that can somehow clarify what interventions happen, because in that instance, whilst that person is homelessness, on question green issue and is obviously underlying problems there,
I'm not sure that Council can do much more, and if that is one of the people who read those numbers, I think it it casts an unfair picture on the great work that the Council of has actually been doing.
Gavin Edwards - 0:11:21
again, thank you for your comments, and again, Councillor Martin, I mean something we can I can look into.
with the Housing to seeing things see if there's anything that we can talk that into the complex going forwards, again again, approval subject to the conversations that I have with irrelevant offices. On that I mean, as I say, nobody wants to see, you know roughly being at all, and obviously nobody wants to see our numbers in all the obviously good information in the report. We've got the right target and we call around the Lebanon on average. I mean if there was any particular concern around the case that you mentioned over single all hopelessly offices as well on hand, to talk about that specific thanks, if there are major concerns regarding that was granted as widely as well. But I take your point about the mention of Whorlton mentioned about the country are unhappy because I think that our conversation with the obviously will not seek to some of the content
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:12:10
it'd be attempts to really you take, and can you?
Cllr John Wing - 0:12:17
firstly, who is Sepp?
Christian, I've come up with a reason for this report and obviously there is to be gotten this meeting a lot of the downward hours seemed to be centred around and not lack of staff, but
sections of grimy Councillor, struggling because of the vacancies basically that Obeid had a major effect on for four minutes, seems to have done this on my screen wall.
Cllr John Wing - 0:12:47
yes, there receptions, actually little downward hours are elderly suffering, are there was a vacancy and obviously that needs staff struggling because there is far too well not being covered, I mean,
Gavin Edwards - 0:13:03
obviously, when we do have to members of staff that that that do leave and etc. There because obviously it's in certain here is due to schools at a cost of 0 or in some cases in terms of the result there isn't the pressures on possible we don't know.
impact to make sure we can get the resources as quickly as possible, and obviously we don't know particularly re areas around for any information et cetera, by the way, those mentioned in the report that we have, we have a key results boundary. Would you have somebody now for fallout position? They are settling in really well with particular battle with the knowledge and expertise that got, so we do have somebody now. It's looking around for your information, I mean obviously Bedgebury stopped as well and to address that going forwards.
Cllr John Wing - 0:13:45
so hopefully we're seen improvement, he became the only other point going back to Mr Ma Councillor Martins about homeless an alternative route for good Council work well because few people don't want be held financially, penal function outside and I know the council do a lot of work in the current force in the conduct of board and say you can say attendance reason for many people to prison energy language is another matter, but you know there was an element and being homeless they don't living.
note that there may struggle granting, even at home, in Bismarck, work cancelling the it's just a case of venues been, and, I think, Councillor, the great work with the homeless community.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:14:30
thank you, Councillor, when there's nothing else from Members on the only a couple of little things from myself as some of that's already been covered, I mean just looking back at the minutes from the last meeting now, thank you for bringing up that the fly tipping and I will just quickly read it out. Members were keen to see the data around the local number of fly tipping cases being reported on both council and privately owned land and obviously how quickly these cases are dealt with being asked to see some more in the globe.
there and also.
the the pilot events Jim and Margaret improvement, which we haven't had one yet Stuart, sort 0 pitch.
hopefully when when they do come to there'd be something in the blurb just about.
the rational Ireland and you know what what sort of what improvements and what what value added there has been for so the projects as they as they come forward.
that was all for me, so there are no more questions or comments from members on this, then are we happy to receive and note the report on favour?
thank you very much again.

4 General Fund Revenue Budget Monitoring - 1st Quarter (Q1) 2024/25

can I then moving on to item number for the General Fund revenue budget monitoring for the first quarter of this financial year and to introduce this is horror, thank you.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:16:06
thank you, can I just start by expressing my acquisitions.
we share the members listed, thank you for auditing the small thing, I know that some of the schedule this meeting needs to happen before the Cabinet's moral, so thanks a lot, for it accommodates a guarantee in terms of the General Fund Revenue Budget monitoring, the put in front of you is looking at Q1,
contractors where we are, as at the end of June 2024 do depot provide members with an overview of the performances, including an overview of reserves and balances which we enable Cabinet to take ownership of the budget approved by a robust challenge and scrutiny to the officers on parliamentary subject projects the projection at the moment is showing one on Graydon 54,000.
underspent, so it projection at the end of the year, so we are looking at data in front of force as at the end of June and tried to forget that forward to the end of the year, which is the one 154 and again is an underspend by the time we get to Q2, we should go to be the end of September Q3 ending up December and queue for I do as per Darcy goes to change putting that same perspective, I need to make reference to our colleagues medium term financial plan. Our projection at the moment for 25 26 satisfies care charity system, several of eight or so, and
26 27 0 7 1 7 and treated several 28 of 1.9 million and a reasonable of to measure that is that any projected on this point that this council, my ashifa, gilded financial year, the suggestion or the recommendation would be to credited for into our deserves to be able to help us with potential budget deficit.
table 1 of the report provides a detailed analysis in terms of pure disservice things, the approved budget to cure predicted outturn and variances we are currently reporting.
and following that we've got Section 3.5 which cover each of those departments or services detailing why we have just projected underspend, so under 3.5 is a mixture of deficit and surplus, some of the underspend relates to various vacancies that services are occurring.
however, by the time we get to Q2 or too cute to be, Dewsbury, council staff feared Darwin impact the projected underspend going forward.
moving on to
section 5 of the report that is mainly looking at what we carried forward from last year.
in 23 24, the cabinet actually approved a budget carry-forward of 1.1 4 1 million DUP budget, as been has been carried forward into this current financial year and do requirement by CSA is that dabbed just needs to be spent only on those reasons why we have encouraged forward, and this is mainly to avoid,
budgets orders not committed to not committing the right expenditure.
so for the right budget, sexual subject to protests, to look at our results transitions, and that's looks at move meeting earmarked reserves, our current projection is line point, several million at the end of 31st March 2025 for General Fund we are projecting 5 point several million.
section 8 of the report is just to prove ideal, an update in terms of auto poor transitional budget so that it would deter what do budget has been spent on and if he has or has there been any variances decorative, education at the moment is adapt, budget will be fully spent based on the
transitional plan that this had been earmarked for, I'm happy to stop there and have three questions, thank you.
thank you for that.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:20:49
so I will open it up to members, to any members have anything Kent, Councillor Mann.
I think you had.
Cllr Alan Martin - 0:20:58
two areas relief first West previously,
raised this question around the vacancies I I guess, had a couple of questions there, one to ask them out, are we experiencing a specific problem with recruiting group, but it does seem like that's a recurring theme across lots of different departments.
and I, I don't know how differently is to previous years, but it feels like there are a lot of vacancies.
there they stand out within report and also just to check that
vacancies are being sought are kept deliberately open, just to protect the budgets
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:21:40
thank you again, I think, in looking at various figure, because is that we are reporting at the moment, this is where we are.
during the first three months of this financial war. So by the time we get to the extent that some of those we can close, the show will be feared, however, have been vacant position are current vacancies, these portfolio assurance in local government? At the moment it has been very, very difficult to be able to for some of those role at corruptible, I will use finance as an example. We've got a vacant potential for senior Finance Officer who pass judgment because the ability to further so it's just not on issue but I'll ever by the time we get to the end of the financial year, some of
some of those the comprehension of most of the competition from LA before.
thank you.
so when you come back.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:22:37
Cllr Alan Martin - 0:22:40
and it seemed in Planning in particular that it seemed to be one of the areas where we're struggling, and I think I'd picked up from the Planning training that we would be expecting to to grow planning team even even further next year, so I guess just a comment that that seems to be a worried the then just looking at 1.00 of the overspend so.
corporate states in and development,
so it seems that predominantly coming from a couple of vacant floors and connect 38
so just keen to better understand what what are we doing to fill those in,
I'm not really close to the building, so it was that was are expected or or not, there's also reference to some.
unbudgeted professional fees and I'll be interested to know what what they were,
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:23:32
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:23:35
thank you, Councillor Mowat, thank you, I think again in terms of your question, some of them are by no sorry for them, to sorry radicals Department to be able to poverty.
the houses and against similar to what I said earlier, most of those consequences insurance who've been failed by the time we get to the end of the war in terms of collect 38, my understanding is that there are one or two floors within that property that are currently vacant.
and because they are vacant, we have to pick up the relevant business great because we are not getting a new role for both, however, of being made to understand that there is a plan, the probably the contract was being negotiated at the moment to feel goes of the current law so by the time we get appear to Q3 diary porch will be updated and there may be an updated picture.
thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:24:38
Councillor pregnancies from to include thank you and apologies for being a little late to this meeting, a previous meeting, a grant.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:24:44
just pick up on some of.
Councillor Martin, as questions which are very reasonable, the certainly you'll see on with pool, for instance, there's a staff, understand the Councillor advertising pretty much every week, if you look at our basic vacancies, page 4 staff are high, pool lifeguards and full staff there is,
if remarkably, had to recruited to it, and if you know anyone who wants a job, and you would have thought that we might have found a thing. People wanted those jobs right now, but even now we've still got recruitment problems less so yet it genuinely is really difficult to recruit their planning as well. Llewellyn will give you
and long and very exasperated rundown of how hard it is to recruit planning officers at this time, and he absolutely would like to do so tomorrow and they continue to advertise and continue to try and get them, and you can't for someone to apply but whenever yeah
so yes, it's not due to lack of trying, and in many of those areas it's just due to lack of Africans and its bankers, for instance, I thought if you had those additional staff we might be able to do things like opening for a bit longer of earlier in the morning in order to take up some sort from other facilities which are not currently offering the same services they used so catheters yeah.
it as a difficulty there that we can't resolve because the labour market is assistance in doing it on.
I would like to put it stopped 24, I'm wrong office, block Ashford connection, connect 38, stop 24 is close.
that that was, for those without the history, in their mind, what they Campbell effectively as investment property bought by the Council some years ago, which broadly we borrowed the cashed-up boy, and then we expected that we would make an income of it which exceeded the cost of a seat at the cost of the property and between primary mental returned to the Council.
and I think it would be absolutely an area that we should have a look at and scrutinised over the course of the near future, whether to this committee or I'll take I'll take offers, but is that working for us is our income exceeding our expenditure by how much is at a rate of return yeah, I do understand that if we sold it tomorrow if there was somebody who wanted to bet by an office block tomorrow,
give him whether you're going to get your money back for that, whether you take a capital loss on it,
and also you have to repay the debt which she'd been paid, and you certainly couldn't under current financing rules we couldn't do it again becomes Albina different office block somewhere else.
it's gone you can't borrow to invest in that way anymore, so I think we should look at those option, we should look at the income and expenditure we look at, whether it's getting returned or whether it might be costing us money because we've got vacancies that weren't expected when the deal was taken five six years ago the office market is different than people expected.
any time before February 2020 and
I think it is worth this Council Mary and look at the options that are understanding that some of them there might be no perfect solution to that apart from to carry to continue to parents and costs for very real time, but we should know allies and we should be clear, sorry, yeah, I think that would be something that if I was obvious committee I'll be said that would be a good discrete item of
scrutiny that we could do about whether that's working for this Council.
sorry, Councillor Craig,
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:28:22
Mr Martin, did you have anything similar to that now?
any other members consistency.
yes, I mean, I think that would be a good item faster than a car
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:28:31
Councillor paper and just did not got section where it talks about unbudgeted business rates, it would just be helpful to understand how how they can be unbudgeted in that same, however, coming as a surprise to us and thank you.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:28:51
I was referring to the Folkestone racecourse one, particularly I'd just Justin just right.
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:28:55
planning reminded the court that
but just.
I am just the other thing in terms of the vacancies are, particularly in relation to to high school, clearly with the closure of Folkestone Sports Centre.
it is quite concerning to see that we've still got vacancies there and therefore doesn't seem to be that link up, so I just wondered what analysis has been done in terms of why we are struggling to recruit people into some of these positions.
so be careful Debussy.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:29:28
in terms of the Folkestone racecourse for Budget said this nursery for putting Kate, I think my simple response to that is that we, we are committed to pay business rates of 14,000 of which we upgrade projects, and therefore we are reporting that now and if that situation changed again, this is a projection.
in terms of if nothing changed between now and the 31st of March 2025 will be reported that, for to pull out paper, destitution might changes to Q2 and Q3, I will come back onto better Norfolk, in terms of are managing those vacancies are what we are doing, I think each services are pushing these differential, I mean plenty was mentioned, planning is a very special in a specialised area and that is thought to be kept getting people in finance. Part of finance is very, very specialised, Syria as well, because we've got to get people in these countries looking at developing and growing in our own
using apprenticeships getting them in and providing them with the opportunity to go up by use finance as an example of his team, car finance.
finance training and are cancelled train, so what we are doing that getting in some well-chosen graduated from university, given Deputy opportunity to?
do a good job why, during the developing?
ensuring that the register would fail to qualify.
shut-up in itself manager for cancer either CIPFA SCC, or similar.
much on interim guiding them are going, there won't be able to take a substantive role so that if we are successful with our Darwin, actually helped, because in terms of developing our getting the right people, the right links across local government is very, very difficult to get the particularly in these days and that is what is reflected in the number of the countries that we are currently fine, thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:31:44
I suppose, meetings.
thank you then yeah, just a couple of things for myself, most of its already been already been touched on.
I guess that the the big one is, in terms, largely in terms of the staff vacancies, a lot of the nerdy underspend that's that's linked to that is that actual for the quarter.
or is that a projection based on those vacancies through through the year in terms of when they might possibly be filled, it just be where we are, where we have already?
definitely saved money on budget, actually if it would be good maybe to just to have that figure as well, so you know, for example, where we're forecasting to underspend.
80,000 on staff in this department, and it would actually already in this corner save 20 that that we'd been, that would be helpful, maybe in moving forward just to sort of give us an idea of what we've actually saved and what went what we're projecting just to sort of say no split it out to make her make it a little bit clearer.
and a wonderful thing as well, just before the papers go to Cabinet 3.5 point to a couple of that a couple of the tables have been slightly sort of jumbled about so governance, law and democracy. It's actually government finance and then there's a few there that there is sort of
the wrong heading that, but I mean it's still easy to make make sense of what the with variances out just just read resemble that ahead of cabinet, please.
and
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:33:21
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:33:22
in terms of just general queries, and just to just the conducting elections of 140,000 understand there, I would have thought that'd be pretty sort of set in terms of budget setting what we, what we need to put aside to cover future elections, so there was anything to say about that that figure.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:33:45
so I mean, or your comments are noted, recruiting reflecting the actress fans what I can confirm that what you've got in terms of because it's the projection.
our thoughts at bay.
and in terms of the election won 43 and one of the reasons why that is being given up as the in 24 25. We are not expecting any or that elections because most of the election that we've been true that will be funded to at away our ever it is. We didn't construct policy to set this amounts of side. I think there's every two or three years, but this year would believed there might not be a call on that amount, suggests that on the given up as savings, we do not medium term financial plan. At the moment we've got one foot set aside in 27 28, so which means it's not requiring 25 July 2004 25. My nobody required for the last two years between 27 or 28. We've gotten out our for today. Thank you
thank you for that.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:34:50
so again, those comments we happy to receive and note the report on Friday.
that's lovely can.

5 General Fund Capital Programme Budget Monitoring 2024/25 -1st Quarter (Q1) 2024/25

so moving on, be nice to finish at least 10 minutes before the debate, overview and scrutiny meeting, so that gives us 30 minutes and there are still three items left, so just keep that in mind, so so we can make sure we get all three items covered in the time that we have so moving on to item number 5, which is the general fund capital programme monitoring for the first quarter of this financial year and
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:35:26
languages as well.
the report in front of fears.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:35:31
blanket so programme budget monitoring flexible one, I'll at 6.00 us in our capital programme is one of the biggest area with the cancer cognitive expenditure the Tipperary we didn't sit, we deem sexual tool is showing you the latest budget for 24 25, that is the approved budget and we have a projection of 34 to the it's several
the variance of 6.1 3, just six points 1 3 is actually the carry forward from the previous year, however, showing the projection of tatty for me one that is highly unlikely. That is obviously by the time we get to cute, so we are actually going to change the format of this report, showing you what we spend to date in sense of actual and projected that forward, and those variances will come with a comment which my main somewhat this would be split. The potatoes courgettes will not be completed or
there may be issues in terms of starting the project, section 2.2 of the report shows you the detail of does 6.1 3 4
the rest is just showing the impact of Capital fund resources, I was taught there and I'm happy to take questions, thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:36:57
thank you, all of the members have anything they wish to raise regarding the quarter one capital.
OK, it seems to be be quite happy with that against this one, you can't read a lot into into Cuba, I guess, but I think there'd be again quite a good.
thing moving forward, where we know what's actually and spend on what's still projected for the year, so by the time we get to the end of the year we have completed a much better idea, OK, so can we just received a note?
roughly.

6 HRA Budget Monitoring Quarter 1

since then, moving on again to the quarter one this time, the HA Rey ragtag, both for Revenue and Capital for Quarter 1 and in touch, injudicious, this is Oregon.
thanks.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:37:49
the report in front of you is similar to the previous report is looking at a showery, but looking at Q1, the projection for a showery at the moment is so point 26 lower, I spent dish and lower, as stated in certain latest approved budget and a reasonable outlining section through on two of this report in terms of the carpets or we are projecting its, we're forecasting 1.6 5 million higher than illiteracy are pooled budgets for the reasons set out in section 3.2 of this report as well, and again similar to books, revenue, general fund revenue and good enough for the Cathedral. This is only looking at the first three months and we're trying to project that to the end of the year, but it's I will come back to you at the end of Q2 at the end of September or Q3 at the end of December, I do as papers we've got the change Deputy control, I was taught there and I'm happy to take questions, thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:38:54
thank you rather open it up to members for questions or comments or concerns.
cancellation, thanks just in terms of the particular variances that
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:39:07
you highlighted sorry for contract inflation and the wave team works, could you just give a bit more detail about about those inflation was unknown at budget setting that says in terms of their
sorry, the contract.
and just yes, what the position is with the way to work thanks,
the capital.
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:39:43
3.2 year
firstly, Chris Moore.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:40:02
this, the reason for this is the increase in expenditure due to grants funding, but I haven't got a full explanation in front of me, I can come back to you and provide you know before responds to that particular question, thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:40:22
Councillor Dobson maintenance.
OK.
Cllr Laura Davison - 0:40:29
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:40:29
yeah, I J I mean in terms of information to to bring back, especially with the
the the decarbonisation planned works recently where we got an approved budget for the right to capital roads and at 1.00.3000000.
already projected outturn, nearly double that we just be concerned if that projected out turn is obviously going to keep increasing as we move through the year, so I think we haven't some some information that perhaps prides provides some certainty that that,
that's as high as the increases gonna go in terms of that, and I guess just in terms of the nearest contract, would be interesting to know what percentage of any sort of budgeted into this budget in terms of May's.
I appreciate the contract negotiations are happened after after budget setting that I'm sure they must have been some sort of baseline percentage increase.
and if it's 8% on top of what we budgeted for, I'd find that worrying again, I'd find it worrying if we did budget anything in for an increase, and the increase was 8%, so that that information will be repeat, welcome to come back and members have anything else similar race.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:41:47
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:41:47
on this King and just cut more things from me on this, I guess is maybe just a little bit of clarity in terms of.
the
the
the revenue contribution to capital, so obviously where we're massively reducing our revenue contribution to capital, but where we've got an extra 3 million in our capital financing, so I don't know if we just taking some money from one pot and putting it into another part and it's largely the same group of money or I mean because you know there could be concerns that some of that a lot of the re-profile work from 23 24 roofs windows over that.
that that money is now not going to be re-profiled and that works not going to be done, such a some clarity on that would be quite helpful.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:42:40
let me again, I think, the main reason for taxis in 23 24 we carried forward roughly linear that has not been utilised last year, and that's actually at this year, so that is the main reason why you have this work before.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:43:01
retreating we haven't to receive and note that report.
nothing and

7 Treasury Management Annual Report 2023/24

so we are right for tonne OK, that brings us to our last item now Treasury Management annual report for the last financial year 23 24
thank you.
thank you, sir.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:43:27
the report in front of you is the Treasury Management annual report. I mean audit report, I will be looking at, that's is looking forward in terms of what will happen. This is actually looking back, necessary requirements of, in terms of CIPFA Code of practice, that every council needs approved right and we've got the stewardship report, and what does that mean? That tends to look at our performances in terms of our borrowing in terms of our investment and comparing that to distract at G that was approved in February. So if we look at Section 3 of the report that actually
provide you with a movement relating to our CFA.
again, a clear indication the our total CFR are in 20 or 31st of March 2024 was ruled foreheads compared to previous year, that's was at several points of movement and that's several points so can be attributed to auto pool, but you add in development.
section 4 details our borrowing in terms of work we've been doing for the last 12 months when Essex where of course I'm talking about 23 24, so sexual for point one, there actually details the borrowing the current borrowing that the council undertaking last last reference when you look at General Fund we have a balance of 56 point, so at the end of that, at the end of March 2023.
31st of March 2024 that has increased to 57 point for a movement of 1.2 million, which is mainly due to.
wouldn't it be borrowed from PWLB or money been money being returned to other local authorities?
in terms of our investment section, paragraph 5.3 of the report detailed our investment putting shortfall we look back in as attached 1st of March 2023, that was 24.3 and by 31st of March 2024 that has dropped slightly to 20 point, so I wasn't the changes Leicester money market movement, money market fund movement of 4 point to improve from movement of point to,
moving forward to our proof from Section 5.8 of the report is looking at our long term investments the value of our investments, as at March 2023 was 14.0 5 million.
at the end of 31st of March 2024 that has gone up slightly to 14.0 8,
in terms of our, it turns the capital return in 23 24 was a total of points 0 3, however.
in terms of cash treatment for 23 24, Gospel several fighting there, in total we have electric front of 5.5 5 written are locked on investments.
and the rest of the report is looking at our financial summaries and he let interest costs that this Councillor, so as to pick up that is clearly detail under six points 1 7 7 which is showing interest bed compared to the previous year as gone up slightly.
with a difference and its variants are for 70 and interest received has gone up as well, so the sum of 1 0 1 I will stop there and am happy to take questions.
thank you, Alan Caine opening up to members questions, comments concerns.
I think anyone, that's something of him.
just wanted to look at.
rally.
so when we're where we have capitalised some interest, it just be interesting to know why or why we couldn't perhaps.
put that in terms of the budget and it's obviously come in after the
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:48:12
budget, so I didn't have to be wanted to say about that and where we have capitalised interest.
on on on Sunday
Mary, I suppose the up the article, your full stop at why it couldn't be budgeted in at the start of the year
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:48:27
the capital lesson capitalisation of interest test to be based on the ashore at the beginning of the year, it's actually very difficult to determine the borrowing or do require a borrowing in terms of a metropolitan we're going to borrow, but you cannot just that Capita licence interests on Dawberry until the borrowing,
takes place, and what everybody interest based on CIPFA Code, that we are able to capitalise, that it tends to uphold at the end of the financial year rather than at the beginning or considerable get together, thank you, thank you.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:49:04
that's helpful and obviously in terms about borrowing activity.
in one of the appendices.
there is at appendix 1, we look at some of the maturity dates, especially from by other local authorities.
seriously going to reach maturity in this financial year, so I don't know if you want to say a little bit something about what the you know what the plan is for for those when they're whether they'll be restructured, returned bother borrowing, or are there any expectations to act to pay some of those offering you
thank you, sir.
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:49:48
we just open it for our borrowing requirement very very closely, both by officers and our Christian migrants consultants, which is something close when any of those borrowings ideal, we need to look at what is available in the market, which some of them they can come back to us and actually extend it
if we don't need it probably paid, but if we have sufficient cash flow, but if it is something that, as part of our working capital is required, then who are 70 extension based only competitive for interest? However, this is an area that many thought would very very close plain speaking to electrician money. That advice was going forward. Some of these short-term borrowing might be considered for a long term borrowing need, however,
the most important factors that dictate, that is, what is happening to the economy, is the inflation going up or coming down the cost of living given is Bank of England interest rates coming down, going undecided factors that good officers on our Christian might get advice, supposed to look into before advice, not to say this is the best time to do it. Short-term borrowing, or this is the right time so long term borrowing whatever we do. This is an area that is closely monitored. Thank you
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:51:14
yeah, I mean it would be quite useful information, perhaps moving forward, obviously if some of these loans of average maturity and in this sort of re-profiled into into future loans that have obviously dates down in time, would be quite nice nice to know that I guess the the lifespan of the line so I mean if alone from pick one can come up soon the 1 30 hoodie
happened so Leicester, City Council, for example, maturity date, 30th of April sentence this miserly past 5 million pounds seriously. That's that's probably become another another sort of loan now, so it'd be nice to know what their that where that lone guy who's even if it gets extended and then so we can see that that one with that day and how it moves
I think that would be very helpful and move forward comment with is
Mr Ola Owolabi - 0:52:05
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:52:07
OK, thank you for that, and if there's nothing else, we happy again to just received a note, the report and we agreed.
once again, thank you for attending the rescheduled meeting at reasonably short notice and.
finished and hopefully good enough time to get ready for the next meeting, so thanks very much.