Meeting documents

To consider this report.

The Committee considered this report that provided details of the value for money tracker, first considered by the Committee at its meeting last September, following recommendations from the Council’s External Auditors on how to improve both budget monitoring and setting.

It was reported that following the 7 recommendations made by the External Auditor written responses from the Council had been provided regarding each, and several commitments had been made to improve the processes. Those responses had subsequently been loaded in JCAD, the Council’s recognised tracking and reporting mechanism for risk management, so that a format like the regular risk management reports was used.

Members heard that progress continued to be made in a number of areas and there was a brief discussion of the detail as set out in the tracker and Members noted in particular:

·         That a more robust control of the 2018/2019 in-year budget had resulted in the previously projected overspend being reduced and moved into a projected underspend. More detailed and transparent budget monitoring would now being provided, and the frequency of reporting, particularly to Scrutiny, had been increased. This meant that additional detail would be provided for the Quarter 3 budget monitoring report;

·         All budget areas had been reviewed to ensure that the 2019/2020 budgets could be approved in the knowledge that unavoidable pressures were being funded, and that previously undeliverable MTFP savings had been identified and reversed. It had been decided to change from the broad cross-cutting thematic savings approach to improve ownership of proposals. The MTFP reporting would therefore now also include more information on expenditure to be met from Capital Receipt Flexibilities. A report for each Scrutiny Committee would be provided to further aid understanding and challenge of the 2019/20 budget proposals;

·         The rollout of budget management training to relevant officers had continued. 72% of the targeted group of budget holders had now attended the training course and 91% of those had rated the course as good or very good. Plans were now being put in place that would enable Council staff to run the course in future, completing training for remaining budget holders in the process.

There was a brief discussion about Risk GTVFM004 and the update status that showed this as being 10% complete and the Interim Head of Finance noted that figure was a result of an input error. The report was accepted. 

The Committee considered this report that provided details of the value for money tracker, first considered by the Committee at its meeting last September, following recommendations from the Council’s External Auditors on how to improve both budget monitoring and setting.

It was reported that following the 7 recommendations made by the External Auditor written responses from the Council had been provided regarding each, and several commitments had been made to improve the processes. Those responses had subsequently been loaded in JCAD, the Council’s recognised tracking and reporting mechanism for risk management, so that a format like the regular risk management reports was used.

Members heard that progress continued to be made in a number of areas and there was a brief discussion of the detail as set out in the tracker and Members noted in particular:

·         That a more robust control of the 2018/2019 in-year budget had resulted in the previously projected overspend being reduced and moved into a projected underspend. More detailed and transparent budget monitoring would now being provided, and the frequency of reporting, particularly to Scrutiny, had been increased. This meant that additional detail would be provided for the Quarter 3 budget monitoring report;

·         All budget areas had been reviewed to ensure that the 2019/2020 budgets could be approved in the knowledge that unavoidable pressures were being funded, and that previously undeliverable MTFP savings had been identified and reversed. It had been decided to change from the broad cross-cutting thematic savings approach to improve ownership of proposals. The MTFP reporting would therefore now also include more information on expenditure to be met from Capital Receipt Flexibilities. A report for each Scrutiny Committee would be provided to further aid understanding and challenge of the 2019/20 budget proposals;

·         The rollout of budget management training to relevant officers had continued. 72% of the targeted group of budget holders had now attended the training course and 91% of those had rated the course as good or very good. Plans were now being put in place that would enable Council staff to run the course in future, completing training for remaining budget holders in the process.

There was a brief discussion about Risk GTVFM004 and the update status that showed this as being 10% complete and the Interim Head of Finance noted that figure was a result of an input error. The report was accepted.