Issue - items at meetings - Budget Scrutiny (2013-14)

10.1 Giles Rossington, Acting Head of Scrutiny, introduced the report. The report proposed a Budget Scrutiny process focusing on a high-level overview of how the budget strategy links with strategic thinking (as detailed in the Corporate Plan). It was also proposed that there should be two additional panel meetings focusing on key aspects of the budget (as set out on paragraphs 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8 of the report).

10.2 Councillor Mitchell asked OSC Members for their suggestions on particular issues that they would like to see scrutinised.

10.3 Members made several suggestions for scrutiny, including:

• Public Health and  “Health & Wellbeing” budgets – particularly in terms of how these were cross-cutting issues (e.g. that PH could potentially support a wide range of services), but also in terms of unanticipated costs (it was suggested that the Council might be responsible for un-budgeted expenses in terms of some prescription charges)

• Community commissioning/Community Grants/Support for the 3^rd sector

• A focus on income generation in addition to a focus on savings plans.

10.4 Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis, the Council’s Monitoring Officer and Head of Law, told members that the Council’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT)  supported the proposed budget scrutiny process, particularly in terms of the focus on outcomes rather than looking in detail at every service.

10.5    Members also noted that budget scrutiny needed to recognise that budget setting is cross-cutting, meaning that a department by department approach to scrutiny would likely be inadequate. Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis agreed, pointing out that ELT had approached its work by thinking about outcomes, which necessarily involves cutting across departmental boundaries.

10.6 Mr Ghebre-Ghiorghis averred that his role, and that of other ELT members, was to support the budget scrutiny process and that he was happy to provide suggestions, advice and feedback.

10.7 Head of Finance James Hengeveld described the external budget consultation process. This includes 3,000 questionnaires to randomly-selected residents; an on-line consultation including a ‘setting our budget’ tool; the cross-party internal budget review group; consultation with the Community and Voluntary Sector Forum; and consultation with businesses.

10.8 Brian Doughty, Head of ASC Adults Assessment, told members that contrary to an assertion that ASC had failed to realise previously agreed budget savings, ASC had in fact recorded an under spend in the last financial year. Mr Doughty also told members that he welcomed budget scrutiny focusing on ASC planning – this was necessary given the relative size of the ASC budget.

10.9    Members agreed that CVSF should again be invited to take part in budget scrutiny as a co-optee. The scrutiny panel members should be free to determine whether additional co-optees were required.

10.10 In response to a question on the ultimate purpose of the budget scrutiny process, Mr Rossington told the committee that the intention, as in previous years, was to bring cross-party members together in a non-party political environment to offer constructive comments on the 14/15 budget plans. The Budget Scrutiny Panel will report to 27 January 2014 OSC for endorsement and an approved report will be referred to decision-makers in order to inform the drafting of the budget report to be presented at 13 February 2014 Policy & Resources Committee.

10.13  RESOLVED

1)That the proposed format for budget scrutiny be agreed as detailed in Part 3.

2) That the budget scrutiny panel should agree topics for the 2^nd and 3^rd meetings of the 2014-2015 budget scrutiny process taking into account the following OSC members suggestions:

Income streams

Public Health and ’Health & Wellbeing’ services (including any unexpected negative impact of prescription charges)

Services with a history of unachieved savings (if such services exist)

High spending services

Welfare reform – and mitigatory steps

Community commissioning/community grants/3^rd sector support