The Finance and Procurement Select Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Thursday 10 September 2026 to review the council's financial performance and future planning. Key discussions were scheduled to include the first quarterly monitoring reports for the 2026/27 revenue and capital budgets, alongside an examination of the assumptions underpinning the council's Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The committee was also set to review its forward work programme.

Financial Year 2026/27 Q1 Revenue Budget Monitoring

The committee was scheduled to receive the first quarterly revenue budget monitoring forecast for the financial year 2026/27. This report indicated an anticipated net overspend of £6.748 million, representing 1.2% of the net budget. The report highlighted that this was an early forecast and subject to change, with robust cost control measures remaining in place. Proposals included a virement of £4.027 million from Finance, Revenues and Benefits to Leisure, Culture and Communities for the Crisis Resilience Fund, and various drawdowns from reserves to fund in-year activities across different directorates. Cabinet was asked to note the projected overspend and the current savings delivery performance.

Financial Year 2026/27 Q1 Capital Budget Monitoring

This report detailed the Capital Programme for 2026/27 as at 30 June 2026. The revised quarter one budget was £218.506 million, a variance of £41.881 million from the original budget. The report outlined proposals for budget movements, including virements between capital scheme lines and the repurposing of a capital budget for a Household Recycling Centre in the north of the county. Cabinet was also asked to approve the addition of £14.903 million in grant funding, developer contributions, and other contributions, and to note budgets brought forward from future years and those reprogrammed into future years.

Medium-Term Financial Strategy Assumptions

A paper was scheduled for consideration regarding the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the period commencing 2027/28. This report set out the proposed planning assumptions, including those for government funding, council tax increases, pay awards, national living wage, and price inflation. It also detailed assumptions around interest rates, borrowing costs, and provisions for bad debt. The report aimed to ensure the underlying assumptions for the financial plan were robust and transparent.

Forward Work Programme

The committee was due to review and approve its forward work programme in light of the decisions made during the meeting. The programme included scheduled items for future meetings, such as Q2 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring, Treasury Management Strategy updates, and reports on Adult Social Care finance, procurement pipeline updates, and the annual budget for 2027/28.

Sample Scrutiny Questions

The report pack included sample scrutiny questions designed to assist committee members in their oversight role. These questions covered areas such as customer impact, purpose and objectives, links to wider council strategies, resource allocation, workforce considerations, performance monitoring, risk management, efficiency, compliance, public awareness, and benchmarking. These were provided as a reference for scrutinising proposals and reports.