Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Charles Hungwe 

Items
No. Item

30.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from the following Members:

 

Councillor Dexter;

Councillor Martin, substituted by Councillor Messenger.

31.

Declaration of Interests

To receive any declarations of interest.  Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest form attached at the back of this agenda.  If a Member declares an interest, they should complete that form and hand it to the officer clerking the meeting and then take the prescribed course of action.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

32.

Minutes of previous meeting pdf icon PDF 78 KB

To approve the Minutes of the Finance, Budget & Performance Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 20 November 2018, copy attached.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Campbell proposed, Councillor Connor seconded and Members agreed the minutes as a correct record of the meeting that was held on 20 November 2018.

33.

Budget 2019-20 Report pdf icon PDF 170 KB

  • View the background to item 33.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Gregory introduced the report and indicated that the proposed council budget acknowledged the challenges the council were facing regarding managing the budget gap for 2019/20, with particular reference to the Ramsgate Port. A number of actions were being suggested in the budget report that was aimed at reducing the budget gap and come up with a balanced budget for the next financial year.

 

A member of the public spoke under Council procedure rules on public speaking at Overview & Scrutiny Panel meetings.

 

Some members of the Panel were concerned that the report did not provide enough detail regarding which option the Council was being asked to approve regarding how the Port of Ramsgate budget deficit would be handled. The Panel said that the budget proposals should be about known facts that could be used by Members to make definitive decisions about the 2019/20 council budget. The discussions should also be based on the assurance statement issued by the Section 151 Officer. The Panel was reminded by one member that a significant amount of money had been invested to date. This should be considered when determining the future of the Port.

 

One Member suggested that the £2 million being proposed as Council’s contribution to the Parkway Station project (to complement the £25 million being contributed by KCC) should be allocated to other uses. Another Member urged the Panel not to be critical of the much needed infrastructure investment that was coming into the district. They also further said that the £3 million that was being set aside for office accommodation might end up generating additional income as a result of the current offices being divested to contribute to the capital receipts.

 

The Panel also asked questions as detailed below:

 

·  Could the Panel receive a verbal update on more details for the two options of handling the Ramsgate Port budget gap?

·  What was the £400k spend on Dreamland included in the capital programme for?

·  Why was the council intending to borrow £2 million to contribute to the Parkway Station project?

·  Why was there a limited amount being proposed for the Ramsgate Port water supply and the refurbishment of Berths 2/3 and 4/5 as this appeared to be too little in comparison to the £3 million being set aside for office accommodation?

·  Could the 2019/20 income generation efficiencies and organisational efficiencies be specified in more detail?

·  Strategies for tackling the – Why did it appear as if the Council was addressing the council’s budget deficit on a year by year basis instead of coming up with a more global and comprehensive plan that could consider as an option merging with other local councils?

·  Were Bretts going to contribute to the works for the development of Berths 4/5?

·  Would the business waste collection service require the purchase of a vehicle? If so was this in the budget and when would the service start?

·  Would the Council report for 07 February only reflect a single option to resolve the Ramsgate Port budget gap?

 

Councillor Messenger  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

34.

Review of the Finance Scrutiny Panel Work Programme for 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 78 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members noted the report.

35.

Forward Plan & Exempt Cabinet Report List for period 09 January 2019 - 30 June 2019 pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel agreed to forward any suggested topics for review to the Chairman within one working week of the meeting and thereafter noted the report.