Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

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To note the latest Executive Forward Plan of planned key decisions that have been published on the Council’s website.

Click here to access - Executive Forward Plan

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to:

1. Accept the findings of the LGSCO reports and agrees to implement the recommendations set out in those reports;

2. Note and approve implementation of the improvement actions set out in paragraph 8 of this report;

3. Add a quarterly review of the SEND Action Plan to future agendas of Executive Committee.

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to:

a) Note Council is now forecasting a balanced revenue position (on-budget).

b) Note the total Council revenue forecast underspend of £20.065m for the year. There is a forecast underspend of £14.005m within Service Directorates for 2024/25 and the Corporate Contingency of £6.000m, whilst remains unallocated it has been released into the forecast outturn within budget lines Table 1.

c) Note that the planned use of reserves of £36.800m for Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Support towards the budget is forecast to reduce by £20.065m to £16.735m, due to the forecast underspend within budget lines (paragraph 18).

d) Agree that mitigating actions are to be identified in order to reduce any overspends, to take action and to contribute to the long-term financial sustainability of the authority.

e) Agree that the Council continues with the aim of avoiding a Section 114 notice by taking all of the necessary actions and continues to operate in a similar way to one being issued.

f) Note the progress and delivered savings of £32.217m of the approved savings programme as set out in Table 2 and Appendix J.

g) Note that work will continue to find mitigating or substitute savings for the £3.909m of Red unachievable savings, deliver the £0.727m Amber at risk savings and the £3.379m Green on track savings.

h) Note the in-year forecast overspend on the Dedicated Schools Grant of £31.300m, a decrease of £1.467m from Month 7 (paragraph 11).

i) Note the total forecast Dedicated Schools Grant year-end deficit of £65.211m as set out in Appendix C.

j) Note the collection rates for Council Tax and Business Rates as set out in paragraph 16.

k) Note the quarterly update from the Spend Control Board detailed in Appendix K.

l) Note the quarterly update on the prudential indicators detailed in Appendix L.

m) Note the outstanding debt position as detailed in Chart 3 and Appendix M.

n) Note the level of General Reserves is £60.000m (risk-based assessment – minimum £30m, maximum £60m) and repurpose of some specified earmarked reserves following a review of the Council’s balance sheet (see section 19).

o) Note the Capital Programme forecast outturn at Quarter 3 is £150.573m.

p) Approve the additional Quarter 2 capital slippage of £0.631m into future years

q) Approve £247.062m of additions to the capital programme, as detailed in Section 35 of this report.

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to:

a) Note the Housing Revenue Account forecast overspend of £1.327m for 2024/25, the mitigations actions in the report and the impact on the HRA General Fund Reserve of this overspend.

b) Agree to take further mitigating actions to pull back the forecast overspend to a balanced outturn.

c) Note the forecast outturn position of the Capital Programme of £51.387m for 2024/25.

d) Note the budget additions of £2.894m approved through Key Decisions as in paragraph 24.

e) Note the Capital virements in Appendix C.

f) Approve updated slippage of £39.665m into future years.

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to recommend that Somerset’s final Corporate Peer Challenge report is considered by Scrutiny Corporate & Resources in March 2025 to ensure they have the opportunity to influence and contribute to the development of the subsequent Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan.

The Executive resolved to direct award the delivery of the specialist drug and alcohol treatment service to the current provider (SDAS) in line with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) regulations for 2 years, with effect from April 2026 and with the option to extend for a further year.

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive resolved to agree:

a. To Somerset Council continuing in the role of Host Authority and Accountable Body for the Somerset Rivers Authority for financial year 2025/26.

b. To review the revised 2025-26 Local Memorandum of Understanding and Constitution set out in Appendix 1 and authorise the Lead Member for Public Health, Climate Change and Environment to sign this on behalf of Somerset Council.

c. To review the proposed SRA Budget and SRA Enhanced Programme for 2025-26, (Appendix 2) in accordance with the recommendations to be considered by the SRA Board at its meeting on 7th March 2025.

d. Subject to Full Council confirming the raising of the SRA’s 2025-26 shadow precept on 5 March 2025, to the release of funding committed from all sources in 2025-26 for the purposes of the SRA as set out in Appendix 2.

e. That the detailed management of the 2025-26 SRA Budget and Enhanced Programme within the control total allocated to the SRA is undertaken in accordance with the constitutional, financial regulations and decision-making arrangements of Somerset Council as Accountable Body.