Issue - meetings

The Report of the Finance Team Manager and Deputy S151 Officer.

The Finance Team Manager presented the report to members and highlighted that the forecast for Quarter 3 had seen a significant improvement upon Quarter 2. Members attention was drawn to the amended Appendix C which showed the figures for Coalville in Bloom.

A member enquired how the budget would be monitored and how the information from the monitoring would be reported back to members. Officers responded that it would be monitored internally by the budget holders and that it would be brought back to this working party on a quarterly basis. Members were assured that as current members of the working party they would still be provided with the factual information leading up to the election in line with Pre-election period requirements.

A member asked for further clarification on the figures around Coalville in Bloom, noted that there had been a contribution of £5,000 from a developer and asked to see where the contribution had been shown which came from businesses within the town. Officers explained that income and expenditure had been shown on the same line and confirmed that the funding for Coalville in Bloom would be a regular item out of the reserve should funding not be secured from developers or other outside sources. It was advised that should further funding come forward from external sources then this would be earmarked for Coalville in Bloom 2024.

A member asked why the £5,000 had been shown as removed from the scheme but officers explained that it had been taken out as the council knew it had been grant funded this year. Members expressed a wish to see Coalville in Bloom as a permanent feature. Officers explained that should this be something which members wished to keep in as base budget, then they would need to take something else out equalling £5,000. The decision had not been taken to remove it but had been demonstrated in the figures as having been funded by grant rather than by council tax. Members were advised that there had not been sufficient money in reserve to take forward for Coalville in Bloom but that due to the grant funding it had been secured this year.

It was clarified that the £5,000 budget allocated for Coalville in Bloom had not been removed and had been funded from grant rather than council tax during this financial year. Members asked that it be noted that future funding be sought from within the baseline budget and officers advised that further external funding would need to be secured to cover these costs.

It was moved by Councillor J Geary, seconded by Councillor J Legrys and

RESOLVED THAT:

1. The 2022/23 Quarter 3 Budget monitoring figures and forecasted outturn for 2022/23 be noted.
2. The proposed 2023/24 Coalville Special Expenses Budget be noted.