Issue - meetings

To receive the summary report covering the outturns of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)             the allocation of £493K in capital funding towards an early priority of the BCP Council as set out in section 10 of the report be approved;

(b)             an update from the Corporate Director for Children’s Services on the progress in delivering a sustainable solution to the High Needs element of the Dedicated Schools Grant be requested. This update to be included as a separate appendix to the 2019/20 First Quarter’s Budget Monitoring Report.

(c)             the opening reserve position of BCP Council as set out in Appendix D be noted; and

(d)             the year-end outturn positions achieved including revenue, capital, reserves and Housing Revenue Accounts be noted.

Voting: Unanimous

REASONS

1.               To comply with accounting codes of practice and best practice which requires Councils to report their end of financial year position compared to budget of the authority.

2.               To facilitate the implementation of a strong and active culture of financial management within the BCP Council by identifying when prompt management action is needed to avoid an adverse impact on future service delivery of the achievement of future corporate objectives.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance submitted a report requesting that Councillors consider the Financial Outturns for 2018/19. A copy of the report appears as Appendix ‘A’ to these minutes in the Minute Book.

Members thanked officers for their hard work in closing down the end of year accounts and the ongoing work being carried out by the Finance Teams.

In relation to this item the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board addressed Cabinet advising of the recommendation in respect of this item from their recent meeting. The minute from the Overview and Scrutiny Board was summarised as follows:

“Agenda Item 4 – Financial Outturns 2018/19

The Overview and Scrutiny Board considered the recommendations within the report and asked questions of the Cabinet Portfolio Holder and Chief Financial Officer. A Member of the Board made a request for an analysis of Council priorities in order to ensure that the allocation of £493,000 was the most pressing priority for the Council. It was confirmed by the Cabinet Portfolio Holder that the full list of Council priorities was still under consideration but that the Unity Alliance was in agreement that this was a clear priority and could be delivered imminently.

In light of this the Overview and Scrutiny Board recommended that: The Financial Outturns Cabinet report, recommendation 1 be amended to read:

That Cabinet approve the allocation of £493,000 in Capital Funding be implemented as set out in section 10 when further analysis is available which demonstrates this is indeed the most pressing priority of the Council.

This motion was agreed by 8 votes to 7.

Cllr Farquhar requested that his vote against the motion be recorded.

The Leader of the Council thanked Councillor Broadhead and the Overview and Scrutiny Board for their comments and recommendation.

In respect of this the Portfolio Holder for Finance advised that the capital had been generated by the Borough of Poole and it was therefore felt that it would be appropriate to use as a capital investment within Poole, no other suggestions or proposals had been put forward for the use of this money.

In respect of this a number of Cabinet Members highlighted the longstanding issues with regards to toilet provision in Poole, and further to this emphasised that any money needed to be used carefully.

A number of Members addressed the Cabinet raising concerns with regards to potential ongoing costs and the lack of documented evidence supporting the allocation of the capital for the toilets.

In relation to this Cabinet highlighted that the evidence had been well documented within the media, and that the facilities would be able to be used by all members of society visiting Poole.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)          the allocation of £493,000 in capital funding towards an early priority of the BCP Council, as set out in section 10 of the report, be approved;

(b)          an update from the Corporate Director for Children’s Services on the progress in delivering a sustainable solution to the High Needs element of the Dedicated Schools  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4