Agenda item

Cabinet RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL to;

General Fund Revenue Estimate;

1.     Set a Dacorum Borough Council General Fund Council Tax requirement of £13.341m, and a provisional amount of £14.574m for the combined Borough Council and Parish Councils’ requirement for 2023/24;

2.     Approve a Band D Council Tax increase of £6.27 (2.9%) for Dacorum Borough Council;

3.     Approve the base estimates for 2023/24, as shown in Appendix A1, and the indicative budget forecasts for 2023/24 – 2026/27, as shown in Appendix A2;

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

5.     Approve increases in Fees and Charges for 2023/24 as set out in Appendices C3, D3, and E3;

6.     Approve and adopt the Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24, attached at Appendix K;

7.     Approve and adopt the Capital Strategy for 2023/24, attached at Appendix L;

8.     Note that this budget paper, if approved by Council, will form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Capital Programme;

9.     Approve the Capital Programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28, as detailed in Appendix I;

10.  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);

11.  Set dwelling rents according to the new DLUHC guidance, which provides for a rent increase of 7%. The average dwelling rent is proposed to be £118.62 in 2023/24 (based on 52 weeks);

Approve the HRA budget for 2023/24 as shown in Appendix F

Employer Terms and Conditions;

1.     Note that the hourly rate of all Council employees continues to exceed the rate proposed by the rates of the Living Wage Foundation, for 2023/24 (to be reviewed annually thereafter).

Statement by Chief Finance Officer;

2.     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.

Decision

Cabinet RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL to;

General Fund Revenue Estimate;

1. Set a Dacorum Borough Council General Fund Council Tax requirement of £13.341m, and a provisional amount of £14.574m for the combined Borough Council and Parish Councils’ requirement for 2023/24;
2. Approve a Band D Council Tax increase of £6.27 (2.9%) for Dacorum Borough Council;
3. Approve the base estimates for 2023/24, as shown in Appendix A1, and the indicative budget forecasts for 2023/24 – 2026/27, as shown in Appendix A2;
4. Approve the forecast balances of Revenue Reserves as shown in Appendix J, and approve section 11 of this report as the updated Reserves Strategy;
5. Approve increases in Fees and Charges for 2023/24 as set out in Appendices C3, D3, and E3;
6. Approve and adopt the Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24, attached at Appendix K;
7. Approve and adopt the Capital Strategy for 2023/24, attached at Appendix L;
8. Note that this budget paper, if approved by Council, will form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Capital Programme;

9. Approve the Capital Programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28, as detailed in Appendix I;
10. 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);

11. Set dwelling rents according to the new DLUHC guidance, which provides for a rent increase of 7%. The average dwelling rent is proposed to be £118.62 in 2023/24 (based on 52 weeks);
12. Approve the HRA budget for 2023/24 as shown in Appendix F.

Employer Terms and Conditions;

13. Note that the hourly rate of all Council employees continues to exceed the rate proposed by the rates of the Living Wage Foundation, for 2023/24 (to be reviewed annually thereafter).

Statement by Chief Finance Officer;

14. 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 Priorities

A clean, safe and enjoyable environment

Building strong and vibrant communities

Ensuring economic growth and prosperity

Providing good quality affordable homes, in particular for those most in need

Ensuring efficient, effective and modern service delivery

Climate and ecological emergency

Statutory Officer Comments:

Monitoring Officer:

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, it is the responsibility of the Cabinet to agree proposals for the Budget, and to present those proposals to the full Council for approval. Once full Council approve the Budget it is the responsibility of Cabinet to implement it.

S151 Officer:

This is a s151 Officer report.

Advice

Cllr Elliot introduced the report as set out in the agenda.

NHowcutt advised this has been many months of planning for our budget for next year and has been considered by Overview & Scrutiny; this is the outcome of the hard work of both officers & Members.  Provides a balanced and robust budget which is deliverable. 

There were no questions.

RECOMMENDATIONS AGREED