The Cabinet of Kent Council discussed the revenue and capital budget monitoring report for the financial year 2023-24 and the quarterly performance report for Q4 2023-24. Key decisions were made regarding the management of budget overspends and the implementation of performance improvement measures.

Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report

The council reported a revenue overspend of £12.4 million for the financial year 2023-24, which includes roll forward requests of £2.8 million. This overspend is after accounting for a £12 million contingency. Significant overspends were noted in adult social care (£32.6 million) and children's services (£26.6 million). The council recommended funding the overspend from the budget stabilization and smoothing reserve, as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

Councillor Peter highlighted the importance of mitigating further overspends to ensure financial sustainability. The total capital program for the year was £216.4 million, representing 52.9% of the approved budget, with a £192.7 million underspend. Recommendations to roll forward the rephrasing into future years were included in the report.

Councillor Dylan expressed concerns about the financial pressures and the need for localized austerity measures, while Councillor Rory emphasized the importance of reforms in children's services and special educational needs (SEN) to bring spending back into balance.

Quarterly Performance Report

The Quarterly Performance Report for Q4 2023-24 covered the period between January and March 2024. Out of 38 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), 17 were rated green, 11 amber, and 10 red. The report highlighted areas of concern, including customer satisfaction with routine highway service delivery, Freedom of Information Act requests, and the percentage of education and healthcare plans issued within 20 weeks.

Councillor Matt provided an overview of the performance trends, noting that while some KPIs showed improvement, others remained challenging due to high demand for services. Councillor Sue acknowledged the efforts in children's social care to keep the number of children in care low, while Councillor Sarah outlined initiatives to improve foster placements and social worker recruitment.

Councillor Neil raised concerns about the removal of the KPI on customer satisfaction with routine highway service delivery, which was clarified by Councillor Simon as being integrated into a new fault reporting tool to improve the customer journey.

The Cabinet agreed to note the performance report and the proposed indicators for the 2024-25 financial year.

For more details, you can refer to the Public reports pack and the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report.