Decision details

The Chair welcomed Jason Vaughan, Executive Director for Resources and Corporate Services and S151 Officer to present the budget update. 

Members were advised that: -

·       All outstanding audits the five legacy councils are now complete.

·       The Somerset Council statement of Accounts for 22/23 has now been published.

The following comments and questions were received and discussed with members: -

Regarding the current financial challenges being faced by this Council, how likely is a Section 114 notice? - The S151 Officer reassured the committee that the Council is taking all the appropriate actions to ensure that this does not happen I.e., monthly MTFP board meetings but if the Council were to take no action, a Section 114 notice would likely be 18 months away. The Lead member for Resources and Performance added that at a recent LGA conference she had noted that councils that fail usually have not taken appropriate action to address problems, have had overly ambitious leadership, or have experienced overcommercialisation.  

One member felt that more MTFP briefings and bitesize training sessions for members would be extremely useful.

Will the Council be pausing any new policy development? - In response Cllr Liz Leyshon asked members to consider that there does still need to be a balance between being very aware of financial risk and future revenue opportunities.

A non-committee member online felt that given the concerning current financial situation, there needs to be massive change to ensure this Council does not become unsustainable.  - In response Cllr Leyshon assured members that the Council is dealing with the financial challenges with a realistic approach, not an optimistic one.      

The Chair thanked all for attending with the update for Scrutiny Committee Corporate and Resources and concluded that the committee had considered the update and noted the information provided.