Purpose

To set out and agree the Council’s
budget proposals for recommendation to Full Council.

Content

Cabinet NOTED the following
comments made in advance of considering the main report on the
Budget & Council Tax 2024-25:
 

1.    
Councillor Conneely, as Chair of the Resources and Public Realm
Scrutiny Committee and Budget Scrutiny Task Group, summarising the
main recommendations from the Task Group in relation to the budget
process, which had been included as Appendix D to the Budget and
Council Tax 2024/25 report. In introducing the report, Councillor
Conneely began by thanking all members of the Budget Scrutiny Task
Group along with everyone else who had participated in the scrutiny
process.  In emphasising that the
upcoming financial year would be the most challenging for local
authorities across the country, Councillor Conneely reiterated the
need for extensive reform of the current way in which local
authorities were funded, given the inadequacy of the existing
funding regime.
 
Due to the
cumulative impact of funding cuts on local government and other
public services as a result of austerity over the previous decade
Councillor Conneely, in presenting the outcome of the Task Group
review, highlighted the importance placed on collaboration between
neighbouring local authorities, partners and the voluntary and
community sector to not only deliver vital services to residents,
but to also counter the competitive environment imposed by
discretionary grant funding which positioned councils against each
other.  This emphasis on collaboration
had been reflected in the Task Group recommendations, which
included the establishment of a shared outcomes framework with the
voluntary and community sector to co-design and co-deliver budget
proposals. Furthermore, the Task Group had recommended implementing
additional shared service agreements with other local authorities
with Councillor Conneely also advising that the Task Group had
welcomed the decision to retain use of the New Millenium Day
Centre, which would be operating under a new shared service
arrangement.
 
Highlighting
other key recommendations made as part of the review, Councillor
Conneely also referred to the Task Groups support in seeking a
better alignment of NHS resources to population need and for
increased delegation of budgets and decision making to the Brent
Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), in order to better address local
need and enable more clinically led collaboration at local
level.  As part of the wider approach
towards addressing the budget challenges identified the Task Group
had also been keen to support and recommend the development of a
longer term strategic approach towards income generation including
yearly action plans and a robust monitoring process to enable the
adoption of a more holistic approach (with dedicated cross
departmental resource) to investigate and identify additional
opportunities to generate income.
 
In
concluding, Councillor Conneely once again thanked all those
involved for their participation in the review process and
commended the recommendations made by the Budget Scrutiny Task
Group to Cabinet for consideration as part of the budget setting
process.
 

2.    
Councillor Georgiou, who began by echoing the concerns expressed at
the challenging nature of the financial pressures faced by local
authorities, created by a combination of factors such as the
significant underfunding of local authorities, Brexit, and the
economic mismanagement of the current Conservative
Government.  Compounding these factors,
Councillor Georgiou felt that the current position had also been
adversely impacted by spending decision taken by the current
Council Administration, such as those related to Civic Centre
improvements and the pursuit of what he regarded as unviable
development schemes.

 
Whilst recognising the need for difficult decisions in order to
provide a balanced and sustainable budget, Councillor Georgiou
advised he was keen to ensure that residents priorities were at the
forefront of the proposals being considered, with the Liberal
Democrats Group therefore intending to propose a number of
amendments at the upcoming Council meeting seeking to address areas
of ongoing concern identified by residents including street
cleanliness, youth provision and the climate emergency.
 
Given
the proposed increase in Council Tax, Councillor Georgiou felt
there was a need for the Council to ensure that funding collected
locally was refocussed and prioritised on local areas of concern
including:

·            
Street Cleansing – with concerns highlighted
in relation to the new intelligence-led approach to street cleaning
and the need for additional investment;

·            
Waste collection and recycling – with ongoing
concerns highlighted regarding the operation of the blue bag
recycling scheme and the option of wheelie bins therefore being
sought as an alternative; and

·            
Focus in addressing the supply and cost pressures
relating to temporary accommodation through the provision of more
genuinely affordable housing developments and introduction of more
stringent planning policies in relation to the Council’s
affordable housing targets.
 
To
conclude, Councillor Georgiou felt there was a need for a clear
commitment from any potential incoming government to ensure that
the necessary reforms required to local government funding were
introduced in order to address the challenging financial position
faced across the sector and provide the necessary reassurance
concerning the future of local government services.
 
Having expressed disappointment
at the lack of engagement by the Liberal Democrats Group in the
Scrutiny Budget Task Group process, the approach taken and
recommendations made by the Budget Scrutiny Task Group were
welcomed and supported by Cabinet who RESOLVED:
 

(1)     To recommend to Full Council an
overall 4.99% increase in the Council’s element of Council
Tax for 2024/25, with 2% as a precept for Adult Social Care and a
2.99% general increase.

(2)     To
recommend to Full Council the General Fund revenue budget for
2024/25, as summarised in Appendices A and B of the
report.

(3)     To
recommend to Full Council the savings proposals for 2024/25 and
2025/26, as set out in Appendices C (i) and C (ii) of the
report.

(4)     To
note the Equalities Impact Assessments on the budget proposals, as
set out in Appendices C (iii) and C (iv) of the report.

(5)     To
note the report from the Budget Scrutiny Task Group in Appendix D
of the report.

(6)     To
recommend to Full Council the HRA budget and business plan for
2024/25, as set out in section eight and appendix Q of the
report.

(7)     To
agree the HRA rents for council dwellings, tenant service charges
and garages as set out in section eight of the report.

(8)     To
agree the rents set under the Housing General Fund for Brent
Housing PFI and traveller’s site pitches and to note the
rents for Hillside dwellings as set out in section eight of the
report.

(9)     To
note the Dedicated Schools Grant, as set out in section nine of the
report.

(10     To
recommend to Full Council the changes to the existing Capital
Programme in relation to additions of new schemes and reprofiling,
as set out in section 11 and Appendix E of the report and note the
Capital Pipeline Schemes in Appendix F of the report.

(11)    To
recommend to Full Council the Capital Strategy, the Investment
Strategy, the Treasury Management Strategy and the Minimum Revenue
Provision Statement as set out in Appendices G, H, I and J of the
report.

(12)    To
agree for a new loan and equity facility of up to £40m to be
made available to i4B Holdings Ltd for the provision of PRS
accommodation in line with the Temporary Reform Accommodation plan
as set out in section 11.38 of the report.

(13)    To
recommend to Full Council the Reserves Strategy and schedule of
reserves, as set out in Appendices K (i) and K (ii) in the
report.

(14)    To
agree the action plan to implement CIPFA’s Financial
Management Code and conduct a Financial Resilience Assessment, as
set out in Appendix L of the report.

(15)    To
agree, and where relevant recommend to Full Council, the schedule
of fees and charges, as set out in Appendix M of the
report.

(16)    To note
the results of the budget consultation, as set out in section seven
and detailed in Appendices N (i) and N (ii) of the
report.

(17)    To note
the legal advice from the Corporate Director of Governance, as set
out in Appendix O of the report.

(18)    To note the decision
of the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources to continue as
part of the Eight Authority Business Rates pool in 2024/25 as set
out in section six of the report.

 
To also note
and approve the specific recommendations identified for
consideration by Full Council as detailed in section 2.19 –
2.38 of the report.

 
Eligible for call-in:
No (report and recommendations to be referred to
Council)