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His Worship, The Mayor, reminded Members that in line with Council Procedure Rule 31.15.6, a recorded vote was required to be taken as part of the budget setting.
The Leader of the Council reported that this report presented for approval the revenue and capital budgets for the General Fund for 2023/24.
Councillor Wainwright asked for a point of order, that Standing Orders be suspended for this agenda item only.
Proposer: Councillor Wainwright
Seconder: Councillor Jeal.
Following a vote, this motion was lost.
The Leader of the Council reported that the budget as presented, is the culmination of a significant amount work at a very challenging time financially, although very exciting in terms of the number of regeneration projects that are ongoing that are critical for the continued growth of the Borough.
This evening, Council was only being asked to approve the budget for 2023/24, the detail in the report does highlight the further financial challenges ahead. As we await the outcome of the fair funding review which we now know will not be before 2024/25, we continue to prioritise work aligned to the key themes of the Councils business strategy to reduce the forecast funding gap, which included:-
• ensuring that we operate in the most effective and efficient manner;
• delivering and facilitating growth be it new homes or business to deliver income from council tax and business rates,
• ensuring that our assets are being utilised in the most efficient way, for example, reviewing opportunities for income generation and also opportunities for disposals where capital receipts can be used to fund the capital programme and deliver ongoing savings to the revenue account and,
• regeneration.
Regeneration is key, not just from projects we continue to deliver as a Borough, but those being delivered by Norfolk County Council, for example the Operations and Maintenance development and the third river crossing which will see a direct benefit to the borough in years to come.
In the current year, we have seen the opening of the Marina Centre on the seafront following the investment by the Council and the continued work on the Marketplace in the town centre.
Council was continuing to deliver the projects for the Town Deal and Future High Street projects, many of which are facing increasing inflationary pressures and challenges and officers and members are continuing to be monitor these and take action as applicable through the governance structure.
The Leader of the Council presented the budget for 2023/24 to Council. The Medium-Term Financial Strategy as reported in November last year, predicted that there would need to be a reliance on reserves in the coming year of just over £1million. This was after allowing for planned savings of £1.35m and forecasts of assumed levels of grants and income, plus assumptions of spending pressures.
Since then, the finance settlement and funding for 2023/24 have been confirmed and the detail of the 2023/24 budgets now produced. This has resulted in a necessary use of reserves in the coming year of £1,143,503 from reserves, an additional £58,503 compared to the position as reported in November last year. The increased spending pressures and funding gap is largely in response to the rising levels of inflation, utilities and the impact of the nationally agreed pay award.
The budget process for 2023/24 has been challenging, the additional cost pressures that the council is facing from rising inflation has had a significant impact on the financial position, for example:-
• increases in utility costs have resulted in additional pressures of £460k for 2023/24;
• the impact of the 2022/23 pay award has had a cumulative impact on the budget for 2023/24, the 2023/24 budget reflects a 5% pay award which would total in the region of £1.2m, this will be subject to national negation for which initial claims have been made which are in excess of the level assumed in the budget – we cannot expect this to be confirmed until sometime in 2023/24;
• Other pressures on the revenue budget are from higher interest rates and the impact of financing the capital programmes from borrowing, which has partly been mitigated by an increase in interest receivable;
• Contract inflation on contracts that the council has, for example for provision of software and other services, whilst wherever possible annual increases are negotiated, some have increased by CPI or RPI of 11% to 13% again placing further financial challenge on the council;
• Furthermore the fall in the market for recyclable material has reduced the income from recycling credits by £250,000 in the coming year.
These pressures have meant that in order to present a balanced budget, savings and additional income have had to be put forward. The Policy and Resources Committee approved the new fees and charges for next year last week which will deliver in the region of £250,000 additional income. Oher savings and additional income opportunities have been factored into the budget for next year totalling £1.1m increasing to £1.4m by 2024/25.
The savings are detailed within the budget report, and include:-
• Reviewing how we use our assets including a review of office accommodation to ensure we are working in the most efficient manner to make the best use of the space that we occupy and reducing our overhead costs;
• Reviewing establishment posts as they become vacant;
• At a time when increases in electricity costs are in excess of 100%, the budget recommends a saving from the turning off of footway lighting between the hours of 1am and 5am overnight to reduce electricity costs and also working towards carbon zero;
Whilst the revenue budget is recommending a saving in footway lighting costs, the capital budget is recommending continued annual provision in the footway lighting column replacements and upgrades to LED to deliver further efficiency savings.
Further capital budgets for approval included:-
• a £735,000 in the capital programme for Hemsby rock provision which includes match funding of £500,000;
• £831,000 investment in outdoor play provision that will see use of S106 monies used over a three year programme of works;
• Seafront improvements in Gorleston.
The report makes recommendations for the setting of the council tax for the Boroughs element which is less than the capping limits for 2023/24 and will see an increase of £5 for a band D per annum, and £3.33 for a band A property.
Despite the current financial challenges, the budget continues to support delivery of vital services to the residents and businesses within the borough including:-
• waste and recycling,
• grounds maintenance,
• housing including support for homelessness
• essential support to households through local council tax support.
In summary, The Leader of the Council reported that he was confident that the budget as presented, continued to support the residents and businesses across the Borough, was achievable and supported the delivery of the corporate plan and I therefore recommend the budget for 2023/24 as detailed in the agenda report.
Councillor Wainwright gave the following speech in response to the proposed budget:-
The Conservative administration had claimed that Labour could gain control at the next election and take the Borough backwards again. Looking at the Conservative budget presented to us tonight, it was this Conservative administration that is taking the Borough backwards.
They also claimed that they were ripping up Labour's poorly thought out contract that led to neighbourhood neglect. Councillor Smith is shown in a photo on an “Intouch” Conservative news letter tearing up this non-existent and fake contract. Nothing like a bit of fake news, especially at election time. Perhaps the News Letter should read “Completely Out of Touch”
Did the Conservatives not realise that they have been in control for the past 8 years, and have had every opportunity to change things. In the same leaflet, the Conservatives take the credit for the new Marina Centre coming in on budget and on time, but they do not talk about the new Market Place being £1.5m over budget and way over time.
During those years, we have had Government Funding from the Future High Street Fund,
Town Deal Fund and Levelling Up Fund, amounting to approximately £54m. These are all ring fenced amounts of money, which can only be used for the projects that they are intended for.
According to Councillor Smith, it would appear that none of this “massive” funding would have come to Great Yarmouth without the support of Brandon Lewis MP. Never mind the excellent work done by our officers to write the comprehensive Business Cases to support these bids, and never mind that Great Yarmouth has some of the most deprived wards in the UK.
Never mind, that life expediency is low compared to other areas, and 26% of our young people leave school without any formal qualifications. Never mind that residents are suffering. The highest inflation for 40 years, the highest taxation since the Second World War, the biggest drop in living standards since records began, wages falling at there fastest rate for two decades, soaring food banks and poverty. A shocking indictment of this Tory Government.
Great Yarmouth deserves the money, but now apparently it’s on the whim of Brandon Lewis, and not on its merit or need. All this funding failed to make up for the millions of pounds lost to Great Yarmouth from cuts to its Revenue Support Grant, over the last 12 years. Over these 12 years of Conservative austerity, the Government have ripped the guts out of Local Government. Local Government has endured central Government funding cuts of more than 50% since 2010. Between 2010 and 2020 councils lost 60p out of every pound they received from Central Government.
Council is now presented with a Budget which increases Great Yarmouth’s share of Council Tax by £5.00 on a band D Property for 2023/24, raising approximately £150K. Once again asking residents to pay for the mistakes of this Tory administration.
The Budget also shows a deficit position for 2023/24 of £1,144m, 2024/25 of £2.513m and 2025/26 of £3.039 m. To help balance the budget, it proposed amongst other things a partial switch off of GYBC footway lighting, a review of communal bin rounds in residential areas and a review of the pest control service and contributions paid.
His Worship, The Mayor, informed Councillor Wainwright that he had thirty seconds remaining and asked him to sum up.
Councillor Myers reminded Council that it was the hard work of officers that had secured funding for officers, not the ruling party.
Councillor C Walker reported that when Labour had been in charge of the Council there had been no Foodbanks and very few charity shops in the Town.
Councillor Candon highlighted that Labour had opposed the Conservative budget but had not presented an alternative budget for consideration and that Labour had broken the country when they had last been in charge.
Councillor A Wright finished Councillor Wainwright's speech on his behalf as follows:-
This is a budget cobbled together by an administration who seem to know that they will not have control of it after the 4th May. It does nothing to help residents with the Cost of Living Crisis or there quality of life, it’s all about cuts and additional income, with no real detail.
Labour will not be presenting an alternative Budget, as looking at the financial mess that the Tories have left us in, and the additional Income and savings proposals, Appendix D, page 133 details that a lot more detailed work is required.
The report states on page 104, at 9.2, provided an overview of the risks that are facing the Council in the short to medium term, whilst the report presented a balanced position for 2023/24,it was reliant on the use of reserves in the year which was not sustainable. Early decisions on the base budget spend priorities for 2024/25 will need to be taken in the 2023/24 to inform an update to the medium-term financial plan. This work we will instigate on Day 1 of a Labour Administration. Residents of the Borough deserved better than this, and hopefully on May 4th, we would see a new Labour Administration who would put our residents first, and bring a sense of pride back into the Borough.
Councillor Smith-Clare, Cordiner-Achenbach, Williamson, Martin & Jeal spoke against the proposed Conservative budget which filled them all with sadness and anger and reported that they had not been able to prepare an alternative budget as they did not have access to officer time or financial reports to be able to formulate one.
Councillor Talbot asked why Councillors could not work together to produce a budget to benefit all residents of the borough.
Councillor Jeal asked for clarification as to where the £200k saving from the bin collection would come from.
The Leader began his summing up. Councillor B Walker asked a Point of Order as Councillor Jeal's question had not been responded to. Councillor Wells reported that although he was chair of the Environment Committee, he did not have all the details in front of him but the Council did have a very good track record of savings in respect of the bin collections and this was reviewed on an on-going basis.
The Leader reported that all the budget recommendations be moved and voted on en-bloc. Council agreed that proposals 1 to 10 be taken en-bloc.
Councillor B Walker raised a Point of Order that all the recommendations should be voted on individually. His Worship, the Mayor, reported that the question had been asked. Councillor B Walker informed His Worship, that he had had his hand up to indicate that he wished to speak but that he had not been noticed.
His Worship, The Mayor, asked the Monitoring Officer for clarification. The Monitoring Officer reported that the question had been asked and there had been no response. Councillor B Walker responded that this request had not been put to the vote.
The Chief Executive Officer informed Council that the Leader had referred to page 93 of the agenda report and that he would take all the recommendations en-bloc and that the recorded vote had been started as it had been made clear that the voting would be taken en-bloc and therefore, the vote stood.
Proposer: Councillor Smith
Seconder: Councillor Candon
That Council:-
1) The general fund revenue budget as detailed at Appendix A;
2) The Council Tax for 2023/24 for the Borough Council tax be £181.48 (for an average Band D);
3) That the demand on the Collection Fund for 2023/24 be:-
(a) £5,417,359 for the Borough Council purposes;
(b) £671,572 for Parish Precepts;
4) The new fees and charges as outlined at Appendix D1 and 3.5 be approved;
5) The reserves statement and movement on the reserves as detailed at Appendix E and within section 4 of the report;
6) The Policy framework for reserves as detailed at Appendix F;
7) The updated Capital Programme and financing for 2022/23 to 2023/24 as detailed at Appendix G;
8) An additional £328,314 be added to the capital programme for the asset purchase as outlined at 5.7;
9) The new capital bid proposals at Appendix H; and
10) The Minimum Revenue Provision Statement 2023/24 as included at Appendix I.
CARRIED.
A recorded vote was undertaken.
For the proposal:-
Councillors Candon, Plant, Smith, Stenhouse, Annison, P Carpenter, G Carpenter, Bird, Lawn, Freeman, Hanton, P Hammond, D Hammond, Flaxman-Taylor, Wells, Cameron, Bensly, Galer, Grant & Mogford.
Against the proposal:-
Councillors Smith- Clare, Martin, Talbot, Borg, Williamson, Thompson, Myers, Jeal, Robinson-Payne, A wright, Fairhead, B Wright, Cordiner-Achenbach, Waters-Bunn, C Walker, B Walker & Wainwright.