Content

RESOLVED
 
1.    
That all recommendations below are referred to the
Council meeting of 26 January 2026.
 
The
following recommendations to Council are made:
 
2.    
That the view of the Director of Finance &
Resources, that the  estimates included
in the Medium-Term Financial Plan 2025/26 to 2029/30 are robust and
that the level of financial reserves are adequate at this time, is
accepted.

 
3.    
That officers report back to Cabinet and the
Services Scrutiny Committee on a quarterly basis regarding the
overall position in respect of the Council’s
budgets.
 
General
Fund
 
4.    
A Council Tax increase of £6.48 will be levied
in respect of a notional Band D property (2.99%).
 
5.    
The Medium-Term Financial Plan in respect of the
General Fund as set out in Appendix 1 of this report was approved
as the Current Budget 2025/26, as the Agenda Item 4 Original Budget
2026/27, and as the financial projections in respect of 2027/28 to
2029/30.
 
6.    
That the General Fund Capital Programme as set out
in Appendix 4 was approved as the Current Budget in respect of
2025/26, and as the Approved Programme for 2026/27 to
2029/30.
 
7.    
That budget under spends be transferred to the
Resilience Reserve to provide increased financial resilience for
future years of the plan.
 
Housing
Revenue Account (HRA)
 
8.    
That Council set its rent levels for 2026/27 in
consideration of the Social Housing Rent Standard increasing rents
by 4.8% from 1st April 2026.

 
9.    
The Medium-Term Financial Plan in respect of the
Housing Revenue Account as set out in Appendix 3 of this report was
approved as the Current Budget in respect of 2025/26, as the
Original Budget in respect of 2026/27, and the financial projection
in respect of 2027/28 to 2029/30.
 
10. That the HRA
Capital Programme as set out in Appendix 4 was approved as the
Current Budget in respect of 2025/26, and as the Approved Programme
for 2026/27 to 2029/30.
 
11. That the
Management Fee for undertaking housing services at £13.962m
and the Management Fee for undertaking capital works at £1.1m
to Rykneld Homes in respect of 2026/27 was approved.
 
12. That Members
noted the requirement to provide Rykneld Homes with a ‘letter
of comfort’ to the company’s auditors and granted
delegated authority to the Council’s Director of Finance
& Resources (S151 Officer) in consultation with the Deputy
Leader of the Council to agree the contents of that
letter.
 
This was
not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect
by officers.