Agenda item

To review the financial situation for the directorate, identifying trends, risks and issues on the horizon with overspends/underspends).

Context

The purpose of this report is to provide Members with information on the forecast revenue outturn position of the Authority at the end of reporting period 3 which represents month 9 financial information for the 2015/16 financial year.

Key Issues

That Members consider the position concerning the third period of revenue monitoring in 2015/16 (£162,000 overspend), and seek assurance that Chief Officers will continue to work on delivering the £1.6 million Recovery Plan reported to December 2015 Cabinet.

That Senior officers follow the requirement of the Protection of Employment Policy which requires that all redundancy and pension costs must be reported to and agreed by Cabinet before final approval.

Members consider the position concerning period 3 (Month 9) Capital Monitoring 2015/16 of an estimated £23.8million spend against a net budget of £23.9million, after proposed slippage of £37.7 million, notes the improvement in a need for slippage reported by managers (after excluding 21c schools), and the reservation that this necessitates managers incurring £12.5million expense during the last quarter, when collective they only spent £11.3 million in preceding periods this year.

Requests the addition of two wholly funded section 106 funded capital schemes to the capital programme, which managers’ report will be fully utilised by the end of March 2016:

 A capital budget of £40,000 to allow for the construction of a Puffin crossing in the vicinity of the development at Saw Mill house funded from S106 contributions from the development at Saw Mill house, Little Mill.

 A capital budget of £6,800 to continue the implementation of the Monmouth Links Connect 2 walking and cycling network funded from Section 106 contributions received from the development at the Almshouses, St James’ square Monmouth

Member Scrutiny:

Members asked for clarification on redundancy costs in school and were advised that the average redundancy cost is £15 – 20, 000.

A Member asked for a full breakdown on the money going to the Borough Theatre (ACTION M.H.).

A Member asked about advertising on highways and we were told by the Head of Operations that when the scheme was first brought to planning, concerned were raised about the locations suggested. Another meeting was taking place shortly to discuss more suitable sites.

It was stressed by a member that it was of the upmost importance that members were kept aware of what is happening in all directorates to ensure members see the whole picture.