Content

KEY
DECISION
Following
consideration of the officer report, appendices including
individual and cumulative impact assessment and discussion the
Executive:
 
a)   
Considered the feedback on the public consultation
set out in Appendix 8.
b)   
Considered the comments from the five business
sector engagement events set out in Appendix 8.
c)    
Considered and endorsed the comments from Scrutiny
Committee Corporate & Resources on the budget
proposals.
d)   
Noted the that a formal request has been submitted
to DLUHC for Exceptional Financial Support in the form a
Capitalisation Direction to balance the budget, an additional 5% in
council tax (request subsequently refused) and £40m
for the ‘re-sizing’ of the council and associated
redundancy costs and that as part of this process there will an
external assurance review by CIPFA.
e)   
Noted that the conclusions of the Council’s
Section 151 Officer (Chief Finance Officer) confirming the
robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy of the level of
reserves, will be a separate report to Council.
f)     
The Executive agreed the removal of savings
proposals: CMS015 RNLI, CAP007 Crossing
Patrols; SWL006 Democratic process; SWL007 Committee size; SWL008
Committee meeting locations; SWL012 Members allowances; and CAP -32
Reductions to highways maintenance. Resulting in a total change of
£260,000.
g)   
The Executive agreed the following
updates/revisions:

Communities Service Area - wording and savings type amendments to: CMS021 overnight
locking of Wellington, Blenheim and Vivary Parks; CMS026 Taunton
Visitor Information Centre; and CMS041 Parish Ranger Scheme.
Resulting in no financial changes.

Climate and Place Service Area
– new savings: Contractual changes related to the guaranteed minimum annual
tonnage for residual waste in Somerset to our Contractor (Viridor)
or seeking alternative EfW disposal routes above the current
minimum annual tonnage floor; and Funding of one Grade 10 post and
one Grade 7 post using time-limited external Levelling up front
grant provided by DHLUC to support us in delivering LUF schemes
– resulting in a combined £243,000 saving, And: the
removal of CAP004 Funding for Community Rail Partnership; a
reduction in CAP027 transport policy costs; the deferral until
2025/26 of CAP032 reduction in highways maintenance and devolution
of service (including removing savings regarding gully emptying,
deferring savings regarding reducing
reactive budgets for hedge trimming, noxious weeds treatment, gully
emptying, ditches and grips and reduced planned
grass-cutting; and a amendment
of the title (wording only) of CAP010 to Make Savings from the Core
Contract for Household Waste Recycling Centre. In total resulting
in a savings reduction of £243,000.
 
Furthermore the Executive agreed to recommend to full Council
approve:
 
Revenue Budget
 

a.   
Note the conclusions of the Council’s Section
151 Officer (Chief Finance Officer) in his Section 25 report
confirming the robustness of the budget estimates and the adequacy
of the level of reserves for 2024/25 and his warning about the
2025/26 financial year.

b.   
Approves the additional funding for pressures
requirements set out in Appendix 6.

c.    
Approves the savings and income generation plans
outlined in Appendix 7, considering the detailed
Equalities Impact Assessments

d.   
Notes the MTFP Cumulative Impact Assessment in
Appendix 15

e.   
Approves the General Fund net revenue budget for
2024/25 of £601.775m and the individual service budgets for
2024/25 as outlined in Appendix 2.

f.     
Notes that in order to balance the 2024/25 budget,
that revenue spend will be capitalised in accordance with the
Capitalisation Directive from DLUHC of £36.9m

g.   
The delegation of any amendments within the final
Government Financial Settlement and the final Business Rates
amendments to the Executive Director of Resources and Corporate
Services (Section 151 Officer) in consultation with the Leader of
the Council. 

Reserves
a.     
Notes that the level of General Reserves is
maintained within the risk based assessment range of £30m
minimum to £60m maximum level.
b.   
Approves that £36.8m from the Medium-Term
Financial Plan Support Reserve is used to help balance the 2024/25
budget.
c.    
Notes the overall estimated position of Earmarked
Reserves outlined in Table 14
and the proposed use of reserves detailed in Appendix
10 which includes the estimated use of Earmarked Reserves
during the year.

Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG)

a.   
Note the forecast spending on the Dedicated Schools
Grant is forecast to exceed the funding provided by government by
£23.4m in 2024/25 and is projected to reach a cumulative
deficit of £96.2m by 31 March 2026.

b. 
Notes the overall Dedicated Schools Grant allocation
of £533.3m for 2024/25 and breakdown by block as set out in
Appendix 12.
Council
Tax

a.  
Approves the calculations for determining the
Council Tax requirement for the year 2024/25 in accordance with the
Local Government Finance Act 1992 as set out in the Council Tax
Resolution in Appendix 16.

b.   
Agree to continue the Council Tax precept of
£14.65, included in the overall band D Council Tax for the
shadow Somerset Rivers Authority (representing no increase). This
results in a Council Tax Requirement of £3,058,900 for the
Somerset Rivers Authority.

c.    
Approves the Council increase the Council Tax for a
band D property for Somerset Council, including the Somerset Rivers
Authority Precept, by £82.14 for 2024/25, giving a band D
Council Tax of £1,728.18 per year,

i.
The general band D Council Tax by 2.99%, £49.22, the maximum
permitted without a referendum; and

ii. The Adult Social Care Precept by 2.00%,
£32.92.

d.   
Approves a Special Expenses rate of £230,977
as detailed in Appendix 5.

e.   
Approves the precept requirement of
£361,071,003 (including Special Expenses Rate)
£360,840,026 (excluding Special Expenses Rates).

f.     
Approves the formal Council Tax resolution, in
Appendix 16a, which incorporates the precepts of all the
precepting bodies.

Note – all reference to
appendices above relate to the Full Council papers for 20 February
2024.