Agenda item

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND

 

General Fund Revenue Estimate

 

a)set a Dacorum Borough Council General Fund Council Tax requirement of £12.836m, and a provisional amount of £13.851m for the combined Borough Council and Parish Councils’ requirement for 2022/23;

 

 

b) approve a Band D Council Tax increase of £5 (2.4%) for Dacorum Borough Council;

 

c) approve the base estimates for 2022/23, as shown in Appendix A1, and the indicative budget forecasts for 2022/23 – 2025/26, as shown in Appendix A2;

 

d) approve the forecast balances of Revenue Reserves as shown in Appendix J, and approve section 11 of this report as the updated Reserves Strategy;

 

e) approve increases in Fees and Charges for 2022/23 as set out in Appendices C3, D3, and E3;

 

f) approve and adopt the Treasury Management Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix K;

 

g) approve and adopt the Capital Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix L;

 

h) note that this budget paper, if approved by Council, will form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

Capital Programme

 

i) approve the Capital Programme for 2022/23 to 2026/27, as detailed in Appendix I;

 

j) approve the financing proposals in Appendix I subject to an annual review of the financing options by the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, during the preparation of the Statement of Accounts.

 

Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

k) set dwelling rents according to the new MHCLG Rent Standard, which provides for a rent increase of CPI+1% (4.1% in total). The average dwelling rents is proposed to be £111.23 in 2022/23 (based on 52 weeks);

 

l) approve the HRA estimate for 2022/23 as shown in Appendix F.

 

Employer Terms and Conditions

 

m) note that the hourly rate of all Council employees continues to exceed the rate proposed by the rates of the Living Wage Foundation, for 2022/23 (to be reviewed annually thereafter).

 

Statement by Chief Finance Officer

 

n)         approve the statement by the Chief Finance Officer regarding the robustness of the budget estimates and level of reserves as set out in Appendix M.

 

In addition, Cabinet agreed the following recommendation:

 

Cabinet resolved to recommend to Council that Dacorum Borough Council is to set aside £135k towards the Wendover Canal Trust restoration project. This is made up of a £25k initial payment to the trust and £110k that will be set aside to fund the final £110k once all other funding requirements have been achieved

 

 

 

 

 

Decision

 

General Fund Revenue Estimate

 

a)    set a Dacorum Borough Council General Fund Council Tax requirement of £12.836m, and a provisional amount of £13.851m for the combined Borough Council and Parish Councils’ requirement for 2022/23;

b)    approve a Band D Council Tax increase of £5 (2.4%) for Dacorum Borough Council;

 

c)    approve the base estimates for 2022/23, as shown in Appendix A1, and the indicative budget forecasts for 2022/23 – 2025/26, as shown in Appendix A2;

 

 

d)    approve the forecast balances of Revenue Reserves as shown in Appendix J, and approve section 11 of this report as the updated Reserves Strategy;

 

e)    approve increases in Fees and Charges for 2022/23 as set out in Appendices C3, D3, and E3;

 

 

f)     approve and adopt the Treasury Management Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix K;

 

g)    approve and adopt the Capital Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix L;

 

 

h)    note that this budget paper, if approved by Council, will form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

Capital Programme

 

i)      approve the Capital Programme for 2022/23 to 2026/27, as detailed in Appendix I;

 

j)      approve the financing proposals in Appendix I subject to an annual review of the financing options by the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, during the preparation of the Statement of Accounts.

 

 

Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

 

k)    set dwelling rents according to the new MHCLG Rent Standard, which provides for a rent increase of CPI+1% (4.1% in total). The average dwelling rents is proposed to be £111.23 in 2022/23 (based on 52 weeks);

 

l)      approve the HRA estimate for 2022/23 as shown in Appendix F.

 

 

Employer Terms and Conditions

 

m)   note that the hourly rate of all Council employees continues to exceed the rate proposed by the rates of the Living Wage Foundation, for 2022/23 (to be reviewed annually thereafter).

 

Statement by Chief Finance Officer

 

n)    approve the statement by the Chief Finance Officer regarding the robustness of the budget estimates and level of reserves as set out in Appendix M.

 

 

Corporate Objectives:

 

All of the Council’s corporate objectives are reflected in the Budget proposals.

 

Monitoring Officer:

 

Under the Council’s Constitution it is the responsibility of Cabinet to draw up firm proposals for the Budget, having regard to the responses to the consultation, and to present those proposals to Full Council for approval. Once Full Council has approved the Budget it is the responsibility of Cabinet to implement it.

 

S.151 Officer:

 

Comments contained in body of report. Chief Finance Officer Statement contained in Appendix M of the report.

 

Advice

 

Cllr Williams said that this had been through scrutiny and asked if NHowcutt had anything to add.

 

NHowcutt agreed it had been through scrutiny and that nothing notable to add.

 

Cllr Williams advised that during the scrutiny committees there were proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrat group, at the time he expressed gratitude to Cllr Tindall, during that discussion he noted that he would reflect on those and make its thoughts this evening.

 

Two of those items were in relation to home insulation from the general fund and creating a specific reserve to support the introduction of an electric fleet. Neither of those they feel it would be necessary to create specific reserves for, they have a fleet reserve and if need be they could vire cross reserves to support that fleet reserve for the purchase of electric vehicles. He had already discussed at length with the Chief Executive about how important his view was that they move towards a different method of powering the commercial fleet vehicles, at this stage electric was being considered by the organisation.

 

In relation to the insulation of properties, they have had some good news this week that they have received funding from the HRA to create a project in Northend to insulate 4 blocks of flats.

 

Cllr Williams asked Cllr Anderson to comment on a 3rd proposal from the Liberal Democrats.

 

Cllr Anderson said that he wanted to propose that a Cabinet proposal goes forward to Full Council. That proposal would be that they grant the Wendover Canal trust £25000 of the £135000 towards the costs and that they hold the remaining £110000 in reserve so they can contribute to the restoration of the Canal as and when the trust achieves the funding elsewhere to complete the project.

 

Cllr Williams clarified that the proposal is that the £110000 should be in reserve which they could release when they can match funding.

 

Cllr Anderson agreed and said they could protect the taxpayer against anything going wrong at the same time demonstrating that they are doing what they can to support.

 

Cllr Tindall thanked Cllr Anderson on what he had proposed, in relation to the other items he would report back to his group and they will reflect on the decision of the Cabinet and they may bring forward an amendment at Full Council depending on the outcomes of their discussion.

 

Cllr Williams pointed out that this was a recommendation of Cabinet and not a decision and the final decision rests with Full Council. An amendment can be introduced if its felt there would be a forceful difference to the view they had expressed.

 

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND

 

General Fund Revenue Estimate

 

a)set a Dacorum Borough Council General Fund Council Tax requirement of £12.836m, and a provisional amount of £13.851m for the combined Borough Council and Parish Councils’ requirement for 2022/23;

 

 

b) approve a Band D Council Tax increase of £5 (2.4%) for Dacorum Borough Council;

 

c) approve the base estimates for 2022/23, as shown in Appendix A1, and the indicative budget forecasts for 2022/23 – 2025/26, as shown in Appendix A2;

 

d) approve the forecast balances of Revenue Reserves as shown in Appendix J, and approve section 11 of this report as the updated Reserves Strategy;

 

e) approve increases in Fees and Charges for 2022/23 as set out in Appendices C3, D3, and E3;

 

f) approve and adopt the Treasury Management Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix K;

 

g) approve and adopt the Capital Strategy for 2022/23, attached at Appendix L;

 

h) note that this budget paper, if approved by Council, will form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

Capital Programme

 

i) approve the Capital Programme for 2022/23 to 2026/27, as detailed in Appendix I;

 

j) approve the financing proposals in Appendix I subject to an annual review of the financing options by the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, during the preparation of the Statement of Accounts.

 

Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

k) set dwelling rents according to the new MHCLG Rent Standard, which provides for a rent increase of CPI+1% (4.1% in total). The average dwelling rents is proposed to be £111.23 in 2022/23 (based on 52 weeks);

 

l) approve the HRA estimate for 2022/23 as shown in Appendix F.

 

Employer Terms and Conditions

 

m) note that the hourly rate of all Council employees continues to exceed the rate proposed by the rates of the Living Wage Foundation, for 2022/23 (to be reviewed annually thereafter).

 

Statement by Chief Finance Officer

 

n)         approve the statement by the Chief Finance Officer regarding the robustness of the budget estimates and level of reserves as set out in Appendix M.

 

In addition, Cabinet agreed the following recommendation:

 

Cabinet resolved to recommend to Council that Dacorum Borough Council is to set aside £135k towards the Wendover Canal Trust restoration project. This is made up of a £25k initial payment to the trust and £110k that will be set aside to fund the final £110k once all other funding requirements have been achieved