Purpose

·      
Recommendation to Council to approve the 2025/26 budget and 2025-29
Medium Term Financial Strategy.

·      
Recommendation to Council regarding proposed Council Tax levels for
2025/26

Decision

Cabinet
 
1. Noted the
requirements of Section 106 of the LGA 1992 Act as set out in
Section 1 of this report
 
2. Noted the
Medium Term Financial Position and the Budget setting process of
the Council as set out in Section 3 of this report
 
3. Noted the key
assumptions and risks to the 2025/26 budget as set out in
Appendix A of this report
 
4. Noted the
provisional local government finance settlement outcome as set out
in Appendix B of this report;
 
5. Agreed the savings
proposals as set out in Sections 3.15 and Appendix C of this
report and of this report.
 
6. Agreed the
proposed Fees and Charges schedule as set out in paragraph 3.16 and
Appendix D and for officers to proceed with implementation
of the proposed fees and charges, subject to consultation where
required.
 
7. Agreed the
proposed 2.99% increase in core Council Tax for 2025/26 as set out
in paragraph 3.18;
 
8. Agreed the
proposed additional 2% Council tax increase for the Adult Social
Care Precept as set out in paragraph 3.18;
 
9. Agreed the
proposed Council Band D basic amount of Council Tax for 2025/26 of
£1823.17 being the amount calculated by the Council, in
accordance with Section 31B(1) of the
Act, as the basic amount of its council tax excluding the GLA
precept for the year (as set out in section 3.17 of this
report
 
10. Agreed the
proposed Council Tax requirement for 2025/26 to be set at
£164.361m as set out Appendix E of the
report
 
11. Agreed the
budgets proposed in this report and as set out in Appendix
F
 
12. Noted the
outcomes from the Public Consultation response as set out in
Appendix G (to follow)
 
13. Noted the
Schools budget and DSG as set out in Section 6 of this report which
is presented as a separate paper to this cabinet but is an integral
part of the budget process
 
14. Noted the S25
Statement of Robustness as set out in Appendix H of this
report.
 
15. Agreed the
Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26 as set out in Appendix
I to this report (unchanged from 2024/25).
 
16. Agreed
Council Tax discounts for early payment to be given at a rate of
1.5% as set out in Appendix J of this report.
 
17. Agreed to
direct officers to disregard War Pension income in the assessment
of Housing Benefit as detailed in see Section 11 and Appendix
J and authorises the Chief Executive to approve any policy
required to effect the same.
 
18. Noted the
Equalities Impact Assessment in respect of the Council Tax Support
Scheme as set out in Appendix K to this report and the
overall Equalities impact assessment for the Council report set out
in Appendix L
 
19. Noted that in
the event the Capitalisation Direction is not awarded to the value
requested before the emergency Full Council meeting on the 5th
March, the
Strategic Director of Resources
(S151 Officer) will be required to issue a S114 report.
 
20. Agreed the
recommendations made in the Treasury Management strategy statement
which is presented as a separate paper to this cabinet but is an
integral part of the budget process
 
21. Agreed the
recommendations made in the Capital Strategy which is presented as
a separate paper to this cabinet but is an integral part of the
budget process
 
Cabinet
agreed to make the following recommendation to Full
Council
 

·       
That Full Council approves the proposals at 5 - 17
and 20-21 above
 

·       
That Full Council notes the proposals at 1 -4 and
18- 19 above
 

·       
That full Council resolves to authorise officers to
proceed with the implementation of the fees and charges proposal
once agreed by Full Council, subject to consultation where
required.
 

·       
Adopt the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26 as
set out in Appendix I of this report (unchanged from
2024/25);
 

·       
Agree Council Tax discounts for early payment to be
given at a rate of 1.5% as set out in Appendix J of this
report.
 

·       
To direct officers to disregard War Pension income
in the assessment of Housing Benefit as detailed in see Section 10
and Appendix J and authorises the Chief Executive to approve
any policy required to effect the same.
 
Cabinetagreed to delegate the following
decisions:
 

·       
Delegated to
the Strategic Director of Resources (S151 Officer) the power to
make further changes to the budget prior to full Council to reflect
the final local government finance settlement and confirmation of
final figures from the levying bodies
 

·       
Delegated to
the Strategic Director of Resources (S151 Officer) the power to
accept on behalf of the Council all grant funding allocated to the
Council by external bodies, including central government (but
provided that any new application for grant funding shall be in
accordance with the Council’s scheme of
delegations).
 

·       
Delegated to
the Strategic Director of Resources (S151 Officer) in consultation
with Service Directors the authority to make any necessary changes
to service and the associated budgets relating to any subsequent
specific grant funding announcements up to the value of
£500k, to administer funding where delays may otherwise
adversely impact on service delivery and/or budgetary control,
subject to consultation with Cabinet Members as
appropriate.
 

·       
Delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and
Health and the Leader to approve an annual expenditure plan for the
Public Health grant, in consultation with the Strategic Director of
Resources and the Director of Public Health.
 

·       
Delegated to
the Strategic Director of People and the Director of Starting Well
authority to agree uplift / inflation increases with relevant
social care providers for 2025/2026.