Issue - meetings

D Skinner introduced the item to members and ran through the main highlights of the report:

• In paragraph 3.4, the forecast for Investment Income is showing a deficit of £115k. However, since the report was written, the Bank of England raised interest rates so this will be updated for the next quarter and will have a positive impact on the Medium Term Financial Strategy.
• The report mainly contains a continuation of areas explored in previous quarters.
• There are still vacancies in Building Control and these are being filled by agency staff.
• A pressure of £75k has arisen in Strategic Planning and Regeneration from initial feasibility work on the proposed conversion of The Bury into a museum and this cannot be treated as capital expenditure.
• There is an overachievement in income with planning fees which has picked up after the uncertainty caused by Brexit. This will need to be monitored in the future.
• There is also an overachievement in income from the Alternative Financial Model and reflects the good work undertaken by the department.

Councillor Riddick referred to paragraph 4.3 and asked if the increase in planning fee income was due to the scale of applications or the volume.

J Doe said it was the scale and there have been a large number of major applications submitted recently.

Councillor Barrett referred to the decrease in commercial waste income and asked if it was a current trend.

D Skinner said this decrease was not over one quarter. Measures have been taken to review and optimise the round structure to ensure that collection is taking place in the most effective way.

Outcome

Councillor Anderson thanked D Skinner for all his hard work on the committee. The Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee approved the report.