Issue - meetings

To consider the report on the Financial Performance Forecast as at 31 December 2011.

RECEIVED the Council’s Financial Performance Forecast report as at 31 December 2011, introduced by Kevin Bartle, Assistant Director – Finance.

NOTED the following in response to questions and discussion:

·        Financial information was reported quarterly - the 4^th quarter report (to 31 March 2012) would be reported with the close of accounts.  Kevin Bartle drew the Committee’s attention to the paragraph on the covering report, which detailed the reasons for figures up to 31 December 2011 being reported to a meeting in April 2012.

·        The Chair made reference to the forecasted underspend within Adult and Community Services and asked how the service would respond to possible questions from the public on cuts to service provision, despite an underspend.  Lisa Redfern – Deputy Director, Adult and Community Services – explained that the underspend was a one-off, following the budget cuts in 2010.  These savings were part of the Council-wide budget savings exercise.

·        Two day centres had been closed, however whilst this meant a disruption to services, there had been no loss in services as they were available in different places.  It had been identified that there was a need for more services (both locally and nationally), and this needed to be monitored, tracked and reviewed, for future planning.

·        The pressure on Local Authorities to achieve savings was still great.  LB Haringey were still to identify £25million savings for the next two years.  It was anticipated that, like Adult and Community Services, other services would be able to make a one-off underspend, but would struggle to identify further savings in coming years.

·        In response to a question of where the underspend would go, the Committee were informed that this decision would be taken at the end of the year, and it was likely that services would put in a request to carry forward some of the underspend achieved.

·        Schools with overspends were being worked with in an attempt to control the deficits.  Deficits were variable, and some could be recovered in the next financial year.  Information was requested on which schools had an overspend (licensed and unlicensed).  (Action 120.1) Cllr Ejiofor

·        The £400k overspend within the Place and Sustainability Directorate due to the underachievement of budgeted levels of rental income within Commercial Property may be supplemented with an underspend across the directorate.

·        Councillor Winskill informed the Committee that he had repeatedly requested information with regards a breakdown of overspends in the Children & Young Peoples Service.  The Chief Executive expressed his disappointment that Councillor Winskill had felt he had not been listened to and added that the strategy for improvement plans within the service would take time.  Debbie Haith - Deputy Director Children & Families – added that the biggest challenge was not to over-promise on timescales and the most important aim was to build strong foundations, to lead to a sustainable future.

·        An up to date report was requested on the Technopark. (Action 120.2) Cllr Engert

·        Further information was requested on the status of the project on the reprovision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120