Issue - meetings

It was noted that in accordance with council procedure rule 17.6, a recorded vote would be taken on the motion or any amendments and substantive motions.

It was proposed by Councillor D Saunders and seconded by the Leader, that the recommendations set out in the report be agreed, namely:

“That Council approves:

1.  The 2022-23 General Fund revenue budget.

2.  The 2022-26 General Fund capital programme.”

Councillor Albon proposed and Councillor Everitt seconded the following amendment to the motion:

“The Conservative budget proposes to use the £549,000 to pay off debt, the Labour Group proposes to amend this budget allocation.

Instead, we propose to allocate up to £230,000 from the New Homes Bonus allocation for the capital works required to the Ramsgate Eastcliff and Viking Bay coastal lifts to ensure they are in full working order for the foreseeable future.”

Following debate, the Deputy Monitoring Officer conducted a recorded vote on the amendment to the motion as follows:

19 Members voted in favour of the amendment: Councillors Albon, Ara, Austin, Crittenden, Currie, Duckworth, Everitt, Garner, Gregory, Hopkinson, Huxley, Keen, Ovenden, Rawf, Scobie, Smith, Whitehead, Wing and Yates.

30 Members voted against the amendment: Councillors Ashbee, Bambridge, J. Bayford, R. Bayford, Boyd, Braidwood, Coleman-Cooke, Dennis, Dexter, Fellows, Hart, Kup, Leys, Paul Moore, Parsons, L. Piper, S. Piper, Rattigan, Rogers, Rusiecki, D. Saunders, M. Saunders, Savage, Scott, Shonk, Shrubb, Tomlinson, Towning, Wallin and Wright.

No Members abstained from voting.

The amendment was lost.

Councillor Whitehead proposed and Councillor Rawf seconded the following amendment to the motion:

“The Conservative budget proposes to use the £549,000 to pay off debt, the Labour Group proposes to amend this budget allocation.

We propose to set aside the balance of the New Homes Bonus as allocation to part fund the provision of an additional in-house temporary accommodation.”

Following debate, the Deputy Monitoring Officer conducted a recorded vote on the amendment to the motion as follows:

20 Members voted in favour of the amendment: Councillors Albon, Ara, Austin, Braidwood, Crittenden, Currie, Duckworth, Everitt, Garner, Gregory, Hopkinson, Huxley, Keen, Ovenden, Rawf, Scobie, Smith, Whitehead, Wing and Yates.

29 Members voted against the amendment: Councillors Ashbee, Bambridge, J. Bayford, R. Bayford, Boyd, Coleman-Cooke, Dennis, Dexter, Fellows, Hart, Kup, Leys, Paul Moore, Parsons, L. Piper, S. Piper, Rattigan, Rogers, Rusiecki, D. Saunders, M. Saunders, Savage, Scott, Shonk, Shrubb, Tomlinson, Towning, Wallin and Wright.

No Members abstained from voting.

The amendment was lost.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer conducted a recorded vote on the substantive motion as put by Councillor D Saunders, the result was as follows:

49 Members voted in favour of the motion: Councillors Albon, Ara, Ashbee, Austin, Bambridge, J. Bayford, R. Bayford, Boyd, Braidwood, Coleman-Cooke, Crittenden, Currie, Dennis, Dexter, Duckworth, Everitt, Fellows, Garner, Gregory, Hart, Hopkinson, Huxley, Keen, Kup, Leys, Paul Moore, Ovenden, Parsons, L.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6

Report to follow.

Cabinet considered recommendations that came from the Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting that was held on 18 January 2022. At that Panel meeting, Members discussed Cabinet proposals for the Council Budget for 2022/23. Thereafter the Panel made the following recommendations back to Cabinet:

1.  To allocate up to £125,000 from the New Homes Bonus allocation for the capital works required to the Ramsgate Eastcliff and Viking Bay coastal lifts to ensure they are in full working order for the foreseeable future;

2.  To allocate the full remainder of the New Homes Bonus allocation as capital to provide additional in-house temporary accommodation;

3.  To transfer £200,000 from the risk management reserve to a new climate risk and opportunity reserve.

Members confirmed the planned and cautious approach that was taken, combined with an efficient savings plan that enabled Cabinet to produce a balanced draft budget. Planning Council finances in this way meant the Council was on the right track for balancing the budget in the coming years.

A balanced budget position was supported in-part by the very welcome additional funding that was provided by Government the 2022/23 financial year. However, much of this funding was temporary and therefore careful consideration would be given to its use. Allocating these resources in the most appropriate and prudent way would help ensure that the Council moved into the medium term on the soundest financial footing possible. This was a prudent and responsible approach to use.

The council was committed to the delivery of a strategic response to the temporary accommodation needs of homeless families. Cabinet had already committed £1.6 million to the development of the first temporary accommodation project, providing 8 self-contained flats, and following the completion of this project, would consider further projects to build a larger and more cost effective portfolio of properties.

This approach will be the best way to secure long-term savings in the costs of temporary accommodation. The relatively small amount available from New Homes Bonus would not be sufficient to deliver a further scheme and its use at this stage to offset the costs of borrowing is considered to be the most prudent option. Cabinet was exploring external funding options and additional future borrowing when a further temporary accommodation option is identified.

The funding required to address the lift issues has been estimated to be in excess of £230,000, in addition to on-going maintenance. As such, Cabinet was considering and pursuing other long-term sustainable funding options for the repair and on-going maintenance of our coastal lifts. With regard to the reserve transfer for climate change projects, the monies that sit in the Risk Management Reserve would be available for such projects as and when needed. Furthermore, Cabinet was also looking in this area for external funding opportunities as well. As such Cabinet did not view it necessary to transfer an amount to a dedicated earmarked reserve.

Accordingly, Cabinet agreed not to adjust the budget to accommodate any of the three recommendations from OSP and was going to therefore recommend  ...  view the full minutes text for item 790

Councillor David Saunders introduced the report and made the following comments:

• Cabinet had come up with a planned and cautious approach that combined with an efficient savings plan, thereby enabling Cabinet to produce a balanced draft budget. This would ensure that the Council would provide services and care for the most vulnerable members of the local communities;
• By planning Council finances in this way it meant the Council was on the right track for balancing the budget in the coming years;
• In coming up with a balanced budget, cabinet had to save jobs;
• A balanced budget position was supported in-part by the very welcome additional funding that was provided by Government the 2022/23 financial year;
• However, much of this funding was temporary and therefore careful consideration would be given to its use;
• Cabinet identified £250,000 savings from vacant posts and a further £400,000 savings efficiencies and income generating opportunities;
• Cabinet would consider recommendations coming from the Panel.

The following Members spoke under Council Procedure 20.1:

Councillor Bailey;

Councillor Whitehead;

Councillor Garner.

They made the following key points:

• The Finance Team have done a great job in drafting a balanced budget;
• Members appreciated the budget briefing sessions that were conducted by officers;
• Money should be allocated in the budget for bringing back into use the Viking Bay Lift, as it provides an essential services to residents;
• An investment of the majority of the New Homes Bonus should be made into the purchase of property to extend our in house temporary accommodation service, on several grounds and all costed within the proposed 2022/23 budget, with no extra expense;
• At the 13 January meeting proposed ring-fencing of money to pay down non urgent debt as the most fiscally responsible thing to do. However fiscal responsibility is more complicated than simply looking at debt;

• It should be noted that there was currently some significant pressure for temporary accommodation and homelessness in Thanet;
• It was important for the council to address the district’s needs for temporary housing and homelessness services long term;
• The £549,000 from the New Homes Bonus was a significant amount that has come in part due to the extraordinary work of Housing. Housing brought 252 Empty Homes back into use;
• Thanet tops the chart in Kent for empty properties being brought back into usage;
• It seems only right that the money that Housing have brought into the Council went towards alleviating some of the extraordinary pressure on housing, particularly for supporting the council’s in-house temporary housing accommodation service;
• This should help reduce the costs of using private providers for our temporary accommodation needs and enable the council to make savings that could then be used to pay off debts;
• Continued reliance on private providers for temporary accommodation would lead to significant current costs and future costs;

• Members also thanked the Cabinet Member for Finance for working with officers to bring forward a balanced budget;
• Had the council started any work to come up with a business case for setting up the infrastructure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 353

Cabinet considered proposals for the council’s 2022/23 budget and confirmed that the proposals were for a balanced budget for 2022-23. This announcement was made against a background where a few months back the council was forecasting a significant budget gap. However with a planned and cautious approach, combined with an efficient savings plan, cabinet was able to balance the budget. 

Members were advised that despite what may seem like a lengthy and complicated process, this level of financial planning is of critical importance. That is how council would be able to continue to deliver the services that matter to people as well as protect and support the most vulnerable residents. Planning council finances in this way means the council was on the right track for balancing the budget in the coming years.

This balanced budget position has been supported in part by the welcome additional funding that has been provided to Thanet District Council by Government for 2022/23. However, much of this funding is temporary and therefore Cabinet was asked to use these monies in a financially sound way. 

Members were further advised that Cabinet planned to use the extra one-off New Homes Bonus allocation to payoff debt and which would put the council on a solid financial footing ahead of the anticipated Local Government funding reforms and the uncertainty this was likely to bring. Despite the additional funding the council has received, it has still been necessary to find budget savings in order to balance next year's budget.

One of the priorities throughout the budget setting process has been to protect jobs as much as possible, and as such a key component of the budget strategy has been to look for savings from vacant posts. This review has created savings of a quarter of a million pounds. In addition to this, another £400,000 from further savings, efficiencies and income generation opportunities has also been identified. There was a proposed increase in council tax. However, it was worth noting that this proposed increase in at £5 per Band D equivalent property, represented an increase of less than 10p a week for each household.

The following Members spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1:

Councillor Everitt;

Councillor Yates;

Councillor Austin.

Councillor Saunders proposed, Councillor Kup seconded and Cabinet agreed to recommend the following to council, that:

1.  The 2022-23 General Fund revenue budget be recommended to Council for approval;

2.  The 2022-26 General Fund capital programme be recommended to Council for approval.