The Employees' Consultative Forum was scheduled to discuss the draft revenue budget for the upcoming financial year and the medium-term financial strategy. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items and an opportunity for public questions.

Draft Revenue Budget 2025-26 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2027-28

The primary focus of the meeting was the consideration of the draft revenue budget for 2025-26 and the draft Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to 2027-28. This report, prepared by the Strategic Director of Finance, outlines the council's financial plans for the next three years.

The report details the challenging financial environment facing local government, noting increased service demand due to population growth and rising inflation. It highlights that Harrow Council is significantly reliant on Council Tax, which funds approximately 80% of its net revenue budget.

The draft budget for 2025-26 indicates a balanced budget, but significant gaps are projected for 2026-27 (£5.495 million) and 2027-28 (£3.199 million). These projections are based on current information, including announcements from the government regarding local government finance settlements and the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for packaging. The report also outlines proposed savings and growth initiatives across various directorates, with a substantial portion of the growth allocated to Adult Social Care.

The report includes detailed appendices covering:

• Appendix 1A: Savings and Growth from the 2025-26 Budget Process - This appendix provides a breakdown of proposed savings and growth initiatives by directorate.
• Appendix 1B: Savings and Growth from the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Budget Process - This appendix details savings and growth measures from previous budget cycles that continue to impact the current financial planning.
• Appendix 2: MTFS 2025-26 to 2027-28 - This appendix provides a more detailed look at the technical adjustments and their financial implications across the MTFS period.
• Appendix 3: Draft Public Health Budget 2025-26 - This outlines the proposed budget for public health services, funded by a ring-fenced grant.
• Appendix 4: School Budgets 2025-26 - This appendix details the provisional allocations for the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which funds schools, early years, and high needs provision.

The report also touches upon the council's reserves and contingencies, the legal implications of budget setting, and the public sector equality duty. It notes that public consultation on the draft budget was scheduled to run from 18 December 2024 to 29 January 2025.

The recommendations presented to the Forum were to note the report detailing the draft revenue budget and MTFS. The budget and MTFS were scheduled to return to Cabinet on 20 February 2025 for final approval and recommendation to the Council. The Forum's comments were to be submitted to Cabinet for consideration.

Other Agenda Items

In addition to the budget discussions, the agenda included standard procedural items:

• Attendance by Reserve Members: To note if any reserve members were attending the meeting.
• Declarations of Interest: To allow members to declare any disclosable pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests.
• Minutes: To review and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on 19 September 2024.
• Petitions: To receive any petitions submitted by the public or councillors.
• Deputations: To receive any deputations.
• Public Questions: To address any questions submitted by members of the public within a 15-minute time limit.