Here's a summary of the Milton Keynes Council Cabinet meeting:

The cabinet made several decisions, including approving the minutes from the previous meeting, agreeing to an updated Strategic Risk Register, and noting the Housing Ombudsman's feedback. The cabinet also reviewed the Medium Term Financial Outlook for 2026/27 to 2029/30 and the Quarter 1 2025/26 financial forecast.

Medium Term Financial Outlook 2026/27 to 2029/30

The cabinet reviewed the Medium Term Financial Outlook (MTFO) for 2026/27 to 2029/30, which identifies a base budget funding gap of £23.623m by 2029/30, with £4.558m of this arising in 2026/27. The report noted significant changes since the last forecast, including demand pressures, inflation, council tax, business rates, and government funding.

The cabinet agreed to the approach proposed for setting a balanced budget for 2026/27, as well as further steps to support the budget in future years, as outlined in Annex B. They also agreed that the Portfolio Holder, Cabinet, and Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) should continue developing detailed proposals to facilitate the delivery of a robust and sustainable Medium Term Financial Plan.

Key changes to the MTFO since the last forecast:

• Demand pressures increased by £3.042m in 2026/27 and by £15.660m over the next 4 years, including increased demand in Children Social Care.
• Inflation An additional £0.193m was added in 2026/27, mainly due to contractual inflation and the impact of expected increases to the National Living Wage.
• Council Tax The MTFO model was adjusted to reflect an increase from 2.99% to 4.99% for the next three years, before reverting to 2.99% in 2029/30, adding an additional (£3.574m) funding in 2026/27, (£22.676m) over the next 4 year period.
• Business Rates The MTFO now assumes a full reset in 2026/27, losing growth of around £30m. Future growth has been re-profiled towards the latter part of the MTFO period.
• Government Funding Fair Funding review The updated MTFO reflects an increase in government funding by (£39.182m) in 26/27 and (£44.970m) over the 4 year period.

Quarter 1 2025/26 Forecast Outturn

The cabinet considered the council's financial forecast outturn position for Quarter 1 2025/26 and amendments to the Capital Programme 2025/26.

The cabinet approved the additions and amendments to resource allocation and spend approval for the 2025/26 capital programme as set out in Annex C.

The cabinet noted:

• The GFRA forecast outturn of £1.346m against budget.
• The dashboards supporting the outturn position, as set out in Annex A - Budget Monitoring Summary.
• The reserves position as detailed in Annex B - Reserves.
• The forecast outturn position on the 2025/26 Capital Programme as an overspend of £0.597m after slippage of £6.113m as detailed in Annex D - Capital Monitoring Q1.
• The Treasury Management report including prudential indicators, as detailed in Annex E - Treasury Update Q1 2025-26.
• The forecast outturn position on the 2025/26 Tariff Programme as a nil variance.

The cabinet also approved the debt write-off exceeding £0.050m as outlined in paragraph 2.25 of the report.

The report noted that General Fund Services are currently forecasting an overspend of £1.346m, mainly due to high-cost external residential placements in Children Services. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) forecast outturn at P3 is an underspend of (£2.133m), which will be offset by an increase in the planned level of Revenue Contribution to Capital (RCCO) to fund future capital investment. The Public Health budget is forecasting a contribution to the Public Health reserve of (£0.193m). The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budget was set with an estimated surplus carry forward into 2025/26 of £5.027m, but the current forecast is a surplus carry forward of £3.987m, an in-year adverse movement of £1.040m. The Capital Programme is forecasting underspend of (£5.517m), of which £6.113m is planned to slip to later years, leaving an in-year forecast overspend of £0.597m.

Risk Management Update

The cabinet agreed to note the outcomes of the review of the Strategic Risk Register and the strategic risks detailed at Annex A - Strategic Risk Register Aug 2025.

The Strategic Risk Register was reviewed by Internal Audit and the Corporate Governance and Risk Group. The number of risks listed has reduced from 20 to 17. The raw risk scores have been updated where applicable.

As part of the review, it was agreed to remove SR12 Outbreak of Infectious Disease, SR14 Procurement and Contract Management, and SR18 Shared Services Arrangement from the Strategic Risk Register, as it was considered that the mitigating controls in place meant an increased likelihood that the risk impact would no longer have a strategic effect on the risk environment. These risks will continue to be monitored as part of Directorate Service risk registers.

Housing Ombudsman Feedback

The cabinet noted the outcome of the Housing Ombudsman report. The report provided a valued insight into the complaints the council is receiving on landlord matters and how they are managed. The report reflected the positive work that MKCC has been doing to deal with housing related complaints promptly and effectively.

The report noted that MKCC investigated and closed 979 landlord related complaints in 2024/2025, a 50% increase compared to 2023/24, in line with the general trend across all social landlord types. The maladministration rate has dropped by 8%, although the determination figure has increased. 11 cases in total were upheld by the HO during 2024/25, a total of 21 maladministration determinations were found, and 49 orders were made. Responsive repairs have been highlighted by the Ombudsman as a theme for MKCC.

SEND Task and Finish Group Report

The cabinet noted the report of the SEND Task and Finish Group. The cabinet member was asked to provide the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee and the Corporate Parenting Panel with an update on the recommendations in 6 months via an action plan.

The SEND Task and Finish Group was formed to investigate the work of MKCC and its partners in the provision of SEND assessment and support for children in Milton Keynes. The group aimed to identify areas of concern and potential improvement, and to make recommendations to address these at a local level.

The report made several recommendations, focusing on information and communication, early intervention, and development (training) opportunities. The recommendations included:

• Creating a landing web-page for SEND, with simplified, high-level information.
• Enhancing the council's ability to identify and offer alternative provision to early years students.
• Assessing and considering how training on SEND can be improved and accessed by all appropriate groups.
• Reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of communications between staff and stakeholders.

Minutes

The cabinet approved the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 July 2025.