Purpose

To recommend to Council the General Fund
Budgets for 2025-26.

Content

The Executive RESOLVED

That  (i)    a
detailed and more structured proposal on standardisation in local
government be considered at the next Finance Working
Group;

         
(ii)  the budget-setting process be
reviewed for next year, with changes to the timeline, and the
inclusion of executive summaries in reports;

         
(iii)  Officers be requested to provide
further information to enable closer scrutiny of line items,
year-to-year and in-year comparisons in the 2026/27 budget
round;

          (iv) the
addition of ‘local government reorganisation’ to be
included in the implications section of reports; and

The Executive RECOMMENDED to Council

That  (i)    the
£2.5m of savings in 2025/26, rising
to £4.7m by 2027/28 as set-out in Appendix 1 to the report be
agreed, subject to any comments received from Resource and Finance
Scrutiny Committee;

         
(ii)   the £2.4m of growth
pressures in 2025/26, rising to £3.2m by 2027/28 as set-out
in Appendix 2 to the report be agreed, subject to any comments
received from Resource and Finance Scrutiny Committee;

         
(iii)  the Equality Impact Assessment on
the savings proposals that are summarised in Appendix 6 to the
report, with detailed reports on each resident facing saving
proposal, be noted as part of the decision-making
process;

         
(iv)  the position of the Business Rates
and Council Tax Collection Fund, including the brought forward
surplus/deficit position and the Council Tax and Business Rates
bases for 2025/26 as set out in Section 14 of the report be noted
and agreed;

         
(v)   the Management of Change and
Flexible Use of Capital Receipts budgets proposed at Appendices 3
and 4 to the report be supported; and

         
(vi)  it be noted that Full Council on 3
March 2025 will receive a final report from the Strategic Director
of Finance to seek final, formal approval of the Council's budget,
the Exceptional Financial Support and Council Tax for
2025/26.

Reason:  
The contents of the report is to ensure open and transparent
governance in the financial
affairs of the Council in balancing the 2025/26 Budget, and the
Medium Term Financial Strategy.