The Corporate Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel met on Tuesday 14 January 2025 to discuss the council's budget, the development of a draft Heritage Services Plan, and receive an update from the Cabinet Member for Resources. The panel noted that while a balanced budget is achievable, there is significant uncertainty surrounding national economic factors, and discussed strategies for income generation and service delivery.

Budget Report

The panel received an update on the council's budget, with Councillor Mark Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources, explaining that while full budget papers would be published in early February, there was an unusual level of uncertainty, particularly concerning mitigation around National Insurance contributions. Councillor Robin Moss, Labour Group Leader, noted that the budget proposals appeared similar to the previous year and questioned whether different outcomes could be expected. Councillor Elliott stated he would address this further in the budget discussion.

The pressure on Children's Services was highlighted, with increased demand over the Christmas period impacting transport, children in care, and schools. Councillor Ian Halsall, Cabinet Project Lead for Council Environmental and Waste Services, mentioned the positive Ofsted outcome for the service area.

Regarding Council Tax, Councillor Halsall inquired about potential rises. Councillor Elliott confirmed that while it would increase, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council would remain among the lowest in terms of Council Tax.

The Chief Executive, Will Godfrey, provided an update on the Being Our Best (BOB) programme, stating that details would be presented to the Employment Committee on 14 February 2025.

Concerns were raised about changes in Business Rates, which Councillor Hal MacFie asked about. An officer explained this related to the Business Rates Pool and a change in allocations. Councillor Toby Simon sought clarification on the potential for the government to move towards a deprivation/needs-based allocation, which Councillor Elliott acknowledged as a factor contributing to uncertainty. Councillor Moss noted that the Deputy Prime Minister had indicated a move towards multi-year settlements from the following year, a prospect welcomed by Councillor Elliott.

The potential use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also discussed, with Councillor Halsall seeking assurance that it would be used to improve services and that members would receive training. The Chief Executive confirmed that while it was early days, he could see the benefits and the potential for colleagues to be freed up, with a future briefing planned for the panel.

Councillor Malcolm Treby requested more information on capital expenditure and year-on-year comparisons. Councillor Elliott explained that indicative increases in contract inflation were largely due to National Insurance increases for suppliers, with further increases in social care contracts noted by an officer.

Councillor Moss expressed concern about the savings and income generation proposals, stating that the inability to predict potential pressures tended to skew budgets mid-year and questioned if BANES was an outlier in this regard. Councillor Elliott acknowledged a good track record on savings but admitted to suffering from not predicting rising costs. Councillor Simon suggested investing in a better forecasting model for Children's and Social Care Services, with the Chief Executive agreeing that while savings delivery was strong, increasing demand and provision costs were outside the council's control. Councillor Elliott added that the high needs end of child care, involving a small number of children requiring significant funding, was particularly difficult to predict. Councillor Moss also raised concerns about the delayed highlighting of the need for emergency provision at Newton House, which had incurred costs.

Development of Draft Heritage Services Plan

The Council Leader, Councillor Kevin Guy, introduced the draft Heritage Services Plan, which included an early-stage briefing on the Heritage Service Business Plan, its vision, strategic priorities, and financial outlook for the Roman Baths. Key areas covered included challenging market conditions for the Roman Baths in 2024/25, additional income generation, value for money through benchmarking and awards, and proposed service key performance indicators (KPIs) and activities for 2025/26.

Councillor Moss requested that figures regarding the increase in net profit per council tax household be checked. Councillor Halsall inquired about supporting heritage assets outside of Bath. The officer clarified that while the presentation focused on assets within Bath as part of the business plan, the service also covered culture and tourism across the wider BANES area, with cultural plans for the region being developed.

Councillor Halsall also asked about developing understanding of the past through apprenticeships and training. The officer highlighted the service's strong track record in apprenticeships, and Councillor Guy praised the officer and his team for high staff satisfaction.

Councillor Colin Blackburn asked if data from the discovery card would be captured by the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The officer confirmed that data on council-owned sites could be collected, and the CRM would capture data on new packages such as family trails. Regarding ticket prices, the officer stated he would provide a full answer in the future, explaining that setting prices involved balancing good value with income generation.

The officer also addressed the Far East market, stating engagement with the Chinese Embassy via Visit West. Councillor Moss thanked the Council Leader and officer for the early opportunity to review the information, acknowledging the focus on Bath's assets but suggesting it would be beneficial to gather data on group visitor numbers and promote North East Somerset. The officer confirmed some information on group volumes was available, but not on onward intentions. Councillor Guy mentioned discussions around a Northeast Somerset cultural strategy aimed at encouraging longer stays and visits to the wider area.

Panel Workplan

The Panel noted its future workplan.