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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 4 July 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 20 June 2022 be noted.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the Conwy Opportunities Board held on 23 June 2022 be noted.
RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Trystan Lewis, Dilwyn Roberts, Iwan Davies (Chief Executive), Rhun ap Gareth (Head of Law and Governance) and Jane Richardson (Strategic Director – Economy and Place).
None.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 4 July 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 4 July 2022 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 4 July 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 20 June 2022 be noted.
The minutes of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 20 June 2022 were submitted for information. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee held on 20 June 2022 be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the Conwy Opportunities Board held on 23 June 2022 be noted.
The minutes of the Conwy Opportunities Board held on 23 June 2022 were submitted for information. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the Conwy Opportunities Board held on 23 June 2022 be noted.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
The Head of Democratic Services presented Members with the individual Forward Work Programme (FWP) for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the combined FWP. The following changes were highlighted: • The Renewal Programme Progress report had been deferred to 3 October, 2022 as the Workwise 2020 Framework and supporting policies had been presented to democracy during June and July 2022 and the progress report did not provide any further update. • An update on the North Wales Economic Ambition Board would be deferred to October, 2022. RESOLVED- That the Forward Work Programme for the Finance and Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.
The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources presented a report on the review of reserves and balances held at 31 March, 2022. Local Authorities were required to hold prudent levels of reserves to aid their financial resilience and support financial sustainability. The following points were highlighted: · As at 31 March 2022, the Council’s useable reserves stood at £48.138 million, an improvement from the position at 31 March 2021 when they stood at £30.450 million, however, they remained one of the lowest levels across Wales. · The Strategic Director - Finance and Resources had, in conjunction with Heads of Service reviewed the earmarked reserves, to confirm the purposes for which they were held. Details were included within Appendix 3 of the report. · The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) bulletin issued in July 2014 (LAAP 99) gave guidance to Local Authorities on the management and review of reserves. A copy of the bulletin was included within Appendix 1 of the report. · Of the £34.835 million of earmarked revenue reserves, £10.704 million was allocated to schools. · Funding had been added into the Budget Recovery Plan Reserve during 2021/2022. However, an adjustment had been made to earmark £709,000 to fund three one off business cases during the 2022/2023 budget setting process. There remained £2.417 million in the reserve to support overall budgetary pressure. · A specific reserve had been established to support the budget in relation to the loss of the Hardship Grant funding. · Funding had been added to the Pay Award reserve during 2021/2022. · Whilst the Council’s overall reserves increased by £17.688 million, general balances remained at the low level of £3.510 million. · A common stance was to ensure that general balances of not less than 5% of the net budget were held. Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) currently held £3.510 million, whereas 5% of the net budget 2022/2023 was £12.8 million. · It was vitally important that the Council protected its earmarked and general reserves as much as possible in order to provide much needed financial resilience. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • Information was sought in respect of a long term plan for increasing general balances. - In response, the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that the Medium Term Financial Plan, which would be presented later in the year, would seek to address such matters. - There was no simple solution due to ongoing budgetary pressures and the need to protect current reserves. - The Leader noted that 73% of the Council’s funding was allocated by the Welsh Government (WG), which made planning for the future difficult. • It was suggested, by one Member, that the CIPFA bulletin (LAAP 99), which gave guidance on the management and review of reserves was outdated as it did not take into account the increase in the cost of living. • Concern was raised in respect of some allocated reserves, which had not been utilised. - In response, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits advised that Cabinet would review all allocated reserves. • It was positive that information in respect of school reserves and balances had been included within the report, however it was not made clear that £4.9 million was allocated in order to address the funding gap across schools and a further £4.9m related to Covid-19 grants received in the year. - The School Budget Forum had discussed the use of the Covid-19 related grants and the need to utilise this element of the reserves in order to continue to support pupils. - It was suggested that a breakdown of the allocation of school reserves and the amount of available reserves be included within Appendix 3 of the report. • An update in respect of the Financial Resilience Task and Finish Group was requested. - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits was currently establishing a Budget Working Group. - In respect of the Task and Finish Group, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenue and Benefits was mindful that officers did not have much capacity at present, however he would hold discussions with the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources and provide and update to Members in due course. • CCBC reserves were low and the WG had indicated that Council Tax should be at a higher level. - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that increasing reserves, by allocating a budget, would result in further cuts to services or further Council Tax increases. - The use of reserves would be minimised and would not be utilised for recurring expenses. - Service reserves would be reviewed and may be redirected in order to support general balances. - Current budgetary pressures had highlighted the importance of holding reserves. • It was suggested that discussions should commence in respect of the level of Council Tax set for the next 5 years. - Council Tax increases were to be considered due to significant budgetary pressures, however the impact on increases for residents was also to be considered. - It was noted that CCBC Council Tax was below the Welsh average. • It was also suggested that information be shared with the public in respect of funding received from the WG, budgetary pressures and the proposed level of Council Tax. • Reference was made to the Fairer Share campaign, which sought to abolish Council Tax. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CABINET: a) That the updated Reserves and Balances Policy set out in Appendix 2 of the report be approved. b) That Cabinet provide a view on whether the level and purpose of individual earmarked service and corporate reserves are appropriate. c) That the earmarked reserves set out in Appendix 3 of the report be approved.
The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources presented Members with the Revised Capital Programme 2022/2023 - Quarter One Monitoring Report. The report provided information to Members about the quarter one financial activity on the total capital programme for the Council for 2022/2023. The following points were highlighted: · The report set out the total programme of £107.019 million by service, along with the spend as at the end of the first quarter of the financial year. · Actual spend incurred as at 30 June 2022, amounted to £3.286 million. · How the Capital Programme would be financed was set out within table 2 of the report, some schemes would complete in 2023/2024 or subsequent years. · Further work was required to assess the delivery period of the capital schemes in order to spread the capital programme over the relevant years. · As a result of rising construction costs, an exercise would be undertaken to reassess the affordability of the existing capital programme. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: · The Capital Monitoring Group met quarterly, however meeting frequency was increased when required. · Evidence was requested to support the comments within the report that ‘the Council cannot afford to increase the level of borrowing’ - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources provided assurance that information would be provided within reports presented to democracy in the autumn, 2022. RECOMMENDATION FOR CABINET: That Cabinet accept the report reflecting the first quarter capital outturn position for 2022/2023.
The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources presented the Revenue Budget 2022/2023 – Quarter One Monitoring Report. The report provided detail of the revenue activity for the first quarter of the financial year, a forecast to the year end, as well as other relevant information available at the time. The following points were highlighted: • Appendix 1 of the report set out the latest projected outturn as compared with the original estimate and also reflected a projected outturn overspend of £1.858 million across services. • Education, Home to School Transport and Environment, Roads and Facilities (ERF), were predicting significant overspends as a result of mounting inflationary pressure. • Whilst all other services were anticipating to stay within budget, pressures may arise during the year, particularly in relation to social care and homelessness. • The effect of both the teachers’ pay award and the Local Government staff pay award (applicable from 1 April 2022) may result in a significant budgetary pressure. - When setting the 2022/2023 budget, 4% was set aside for both pay awards. - It had been proposed that a 5% pay rise be awarded to teachers and an uplift of £1,952.00 be awarded to Local Government staff, which represented between a 4% and 11% pay rise. - It was unlikely that additional budgetary support would be provided by the (WG). • Additional energy costs were anticipated. • In setting the budget, £517,000 had been set aside for inflationary pressures, which would support some identified budgetary pressures. • In March 2022, Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) block booked homelessness accommodation for the first six months of the financial year at a cost of £1.261 million. This was funded in 2021/2022 under the Hardship Grant Scheme, whereas this cost would have otherwise fallen on the 2022/2023 homelessness budget. - Consequently, it was recommended that a technical adjustment be made to reduce the homelessness budget (one year only) by £1.261 million to reflect the advance payment. • There was a risk that, some Ukrainian refugees welcomed into Conwy County, may become homeless when sponsor relationships came to an end, which would further compound housing pressures. - WG had confirmed that CCBC would receive £10,500 per person for those who had arrived under the Homes for Ukraine visa route. - There was also additional funding for schools, which would be paid directly from the Department for Education. - Any additional funding may need to be directed to support additional homelessness costs. • Table 1 within the report provided a summary of budgetary pressures and identified a potential shortfall of £6.653 million. • CCBC had committed to a mid-year review of inflation on care fees, which would have a cost implication. - Detailed work was currently being undertaken in respect of the variation in care fee levels across North Wales which would inform future proposals on fees. • Pandemic related funding from WG had ceased, however, some pandemic related costs were still being incurred. - It was hoped that some costs could be offset by delivery model savings within the budget, however, further budgetary pressures may emerge. In scrutinising the report, Members discussed the following: • It was important that staff were paid the real living wage. • In terms of homelessness, it was suggested that funding be utilised in order to increase the amount of properties available. - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that funding of £1.26 million from the WG was not a recurring fund. - The Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory explained that work in relation to homelessness was ongoing and that innovative solutions were being explored in order to address ongoing pressures. • It was queried as to how savings in respect of vacancies, care packages and staff travel claims were being quantified. - In response, the Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that, whilst pockets of savings were being realised, agency costs were being incurred in order to cover staff vacancies. - Savings in respect of care packages were offset by an increase in residential care placements. - Savings in respect of travel claims had been reallocated in order to support hybrid working. • Agency carers utilised by CCBC and Direct Payments recipents were paid the real living wage. • It was suggested that lobbying was required in order to ensure that sufficient support was provided by the WG in respect of Ukrainian refugees. - The Chair advised that support from the Third Sector was being explored, especially in relation to equipment for school aged children. - The Cabinet Member for Education advised that the Children and Young People’s Board were in discussion with Lord Harrington, Minister for Refugees in respect of additional support. - The positive impact of refugees on the community was highlighted. • Concern was raised in respect of reducing the homelessness budget. - The Strategic Director – Finance and Resources advised that the virement of £1.261 million, was a technical adjustment to reflect the advance payment of 2022/23 homelessness costs in the previous year. - Additional pressures in respect of homelessness would be addressed via the recovery reserve, if necessary. - The Leader referenced difficult decisions, which had been taken in respect of business cases and that Housing Services had received £1.261 million in advance. - The transfer of the funds was a technical adjustment. Following the debate, the following amendment to the recommendation (which was seconded) was put forward: That Cabinet do not approve the transfer (virement) of £1.261 million from the homelessness budget into the pay pressures reserve at this time given the likelihood of an overspend within the homlessness budget. Following a vote, the amendment to the recommendation was lost and it was: RECOMMENDATION FOR CABINET a) That the transfer (virement) of £1.261m from the homelessness budget into the pay pressures reserve to reflect the advance payment for 2022/2023 homelessness costs, made in March 2022 and funded from Hardship Grant funding be approved. b) That the latest financial assessment of the estimated budgetary position for 2022/2023 be noted. c) That the significant uncertainties underpinning the financial assessment and the potential implications for future years’ budgets be noted and accepted.
The Head of Democratic Services presented Members with the Annual Overview and Scrutiny Report 2021/2022. The Annual Report provided an overview of the scrutiny function in Conwy County Borough Council, as well as the work undertaken by each of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees (O&SC) during 2021/2022. The following points were highlighted: • O&SCs continued to be held virtually during 2021/2022 and all meetings were livestreamed and recorded. • Whilst it was hoped to introduce hybrid meeting arrangements during the reporting period, this was not possible due to the requirement for Covid-19 social distancing and technical issues with the hybrid system. • The Chairs and Vice-Chairs continued to scrutinise topic selection forms and prioritised those topics that were requested using the scrutiny criteria. • O&SC continued to monitor corporate and service performance levels against agreed priorities and objectives. • Attendance levels had decreased slightly compared to the previous year; with average attendance of 80% compared to an average of 85% in 2020/2021. However, attendance was still up compared to 2019/2020 when the average attendance was 72%. • 42 O&S Committees were held during 2021/2022; this was on par with previous years, despite Committees being cancelled from 23 March 2022, due to the pre-election period. • The Annual Report provided details of improvements made to the scrutiny function, with a particular focus on promotion of the public engagement protocol. · The Chairs and Vice-Chairs had monitored the need for additional ‘joint’ meetings and the increased resource required to hold these meetings. In line with the Constitution, it had been agreed that when the subject of a report significantly impacted on the work of another O&SC it would be included on the agenda of a scheduled meeting, and Members from the other committee would be explicitly invited to hear the debate and ask questions where necessary. • The annual report continued to evaluate the effectiveness of the O&S function. · Responses to a recent Councillor Exit Survey indicated that Members felt they had made a difference to the residents of Conwy County by representing them in O&S meetings. • The report recognised the additional work that Scrutiny Members undertook as representatives on Project and Programme Boards. Members extended their thanks to Democratic Services Officers and recognised the additional pressures relating to virtual meetings and the challenges in delivering the hybrid meeting system. Thanks was also extended to Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs, who had overcome additional challenges whilst chairing remote meetings. RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL: That Council approve the Annual Scrutiny Report for 2021/2022.
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