Agenda item

(To receive a report from Keith Noyland, Head of Finance – Communities, which invites the Committee to consider the budget implications for the Council's Public Protection and Communities Services prior to consideration of the final budget proposals by the Executive at its meeting on 7 January 2020)

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Finance – Communities, which invited the Committee to consider the budget implications for the Council's public protection and communities services prior to consideration of the council's final budget proposals by the Executive at its meeting on 4 February 2020.

Members were advised that the budget proposals reflected the level of funding expected to be available to the Council from central government and an assumed increase in Council Tax in 2020/21 of 1.5% and an Adult Social Care 'precept' assumed to increase by 2% in 2020/21.

Members were referred to Table A, which detailed the total proposed revenue budget for the Council's public protection and communities service, at £33.414m.

It was noted that there were cost pressures of £1.737m relating to fire pension employer contributions and £0.056m for increased Business rates arising from revaluation of Fire premises.

For Cultural Services, a cost pressure of £0.284m in 2020/21 related to ICT provision and inflation on the Libraries contract.

Members were informed that the public protection and communities services were proposing to make savings totalling £0.316m in 2020/21, as a result of efficiencies in the Station cover model from reducing attendance to unwanted fire signals to commercial, non-life risk premises and savings in IT maintenance costs and from leasing smaller vehicles.

Members were then referred to table B, which set out the capital programme for 2020/21, plus future years. It was explained that the main changes to the capital programme that related to public protection and communities services were an addition of a further £2m in future years for the continuation of a rolling replacement of Fire and Rescue vehicles and associated equipment and £2.5m for the addition of a programme of development for the heritage service in each of 2020/21 and 2021/22..

The Committee supported the revenue and capital budget proposals 2020/21.

Members were invited to ask questions, in which the following points were noted:

·       It was clarified that there had not been a reduction in business rates as a result of the merger of the emergency service premises as there had been a re-valuation on the south park property meaning that the business rates had increased rather than decreased as a result of the merger.

·       Staffing efficiencies for the heritage service were not necessarily due to redundancies but rather efficiencies in how the service uses their existing staff.

·       The Assistant Chief Fire Officer explained that there were a number of commercial properties which had alarm systems in place which would automatically default to an emergency response by Lincolnshire Fire Rescue (LFR). Many of these properties already had a sufficient fire protection system in place. Officers had engaged with commercial premises that were a non-life risk and extremely well protected with their own fire-precautions and explained that LFR would no longer immediately respond to calls as a default.  Officers provided assurance that fire-fighters would always attend fire incidents when necessary. If there was any uncertainty as to the risk of the fire, LFR would always attend an incident.

·       LFR had reviewed their existing station cover model and were looking to reinvest in a new station cover model to improve on call availability and make efficiency savings. The savings made would have no impact on on-call availability.

·       The Head of Culture explained that the Cost Pressure of £0.284m in 2020/21 relating to ICT provision was a result of a significant refresh and upgrade of all computers across the county's library network which would significantly improve service to the public.

·       The savings for the Library Services IT maintenance were due to savings in software efficiencies as a result of the implementation of multi-functional devices as part of the new software contract.

·       Cost pressures of £1.737m relating to fire pension employer contributions had arisen as a result of a recent national increase in contribution rates. . It is expected that further increases in  costs will continue over coming years due in part to recent tribunal cases which have ruled that age related transition arrangements implemented with the national 2015 scheme are discriminatory.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Revenue and Capital Budget Proposals 2020/21 be        supported;

2.    That a summary of the comments made above be passed to the Executive to be considered as part of its final budget proposals.