Agenda item

To consider the report in respect of Medium Term Financial Planning for 2014/15 - 2016/17 and to agree the Council Tax for 2014/15

The Mayor advised the meeting that the Assistant Director Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer – Mr Ryan would give the meeting some advice in respect of changes in regulations requiring local authorities to change their Standing Orders, as soon as practicable after these Regulations come into force, so that it must record in the minutes how each Councillor voted (including any abstentions) when determining the Council’s Budget and the level of Council Tax to be levied.

The Assistant Director Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer – Mr Ryan advised the meeting that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government recently published new Regulations, entitled the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, and these Regulations came into force on 25^th February 2014.

Mr Ryan advised that the regulations required local authorities to change their Standing Orders, as soon as practicable after the Regulations come into force, so that it must record in the minutes how each Councillor voted (including any abstentions) when determining the Council’s Budget and the level of Council Tax to be levied. The Government’s interpretation of these Regulations was that it included having a recorded vote on amendments proposed at the meeting. Mr Ryan commented that whilst it was not reasonably practicable to change the Council Standing Orders before this evening’s  meeting the Council could comply with these requirements by having a recorded vote on each amendment and the substantive motion.

Mr Ryan concluded that as the only requirement was to record in the minutes of the meeting how each member voted, and given that there were 4 amendments and a substantive motion to be voted on, it could be recorded in the minutes of the meeting how each member voted, including any who had abstained, by a show of hands.

The Mayor then MOVED and it was agreed  that  the advice given be  noted and acted on when it come to the voting on this item – and that this did not preclude 8 Members from requesting a recorded vote under the current Council Procedure Rules.

Councillor Goldberg moved the budget report – Medium Term Financial Planning 2014/15 to 2016/17, and moved the recommendations contained therein. Councillor Kober seconded the MOTION and reserved her right to speak during the debate.

Councillor Strang MOVED 4 budget amendments as set out in the appendix (attached to the minutes marked ‘A’). Councillor Wilson seconded the amendments to the MOTION and reserved his right to speak during the debate.

A debate ensued and Members contributed to the discussion. 

Councillor Strang, and then Councillor Goldberg, responded to the proposals.

The amendments to the Motions were then voted on individually.

Budget amendment 1, on being put to the vote there were 18  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Davies, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)

and 31 against (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober, Mallett, McNamara, Meehan, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Stennett, Stewart, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Watson and Weber, ) and 1 abstention (Councillor Stanton).

Amendment 1 was declared LOST.

Budget amendment 2, on being put to the vote there were 17  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)

and 33 against (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Davies, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober, Mallett, McNamara, Meehan, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Stanton, Stennett, Stewart, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Watson and Weber,) and 0 abstentions. 

Amendment 2 was declared LOST.

Budget amendment 3, on being put to the vote there were 17  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)

and 32 against (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober, Mallett, McNamara, Meehan, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Stanton, Stennett, Stewart, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Watson, and Weber, )

and 1 abstention (Councillor Davies),

 Amendment 3 was declared LOST.

Budget amendment 4, on being put to the vote there were 20  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Davies, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Stanton, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Weber, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)

and 30 against (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober, Mallett, McNamara, Meehan, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Stanton, Stennett, Stewart, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, and Watson )

and 0 abstentions.

Amendment 4 was declared LOST.

In respect of the substantive recommendations as MOVED by Councillor Goldberg - on a vote there being 30 for (Councillors Adamou, Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Browne, Bull, Christophides, Cooke, Demirci, Diakides, Dogus, Egan, Ejiofor, Goldberg, Griffith, Rahman-Khan, Kober, Mallett, McNamara, Meehan, Peacock, Reith, Rice,  Stennett, Stewart, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, and Watson )

and 1 against (Councillor Stanton) 

and 19  abstentions (Councillors Beacham, Butcher, Davies, Engert, Erskine, Hare, Jenks, Newton, Reece, Reid, Schmitz, Scott, Solomon, Strang, Weber, Whyte, Williams, Wilson, and Winskill)   it was:

RESOLVED:

1.             That  the proposed budget package agreed by Cabinet on 11 February 2014 as updated and included as Appendix 6 to the report be noted;

2.             That approval be given to the Medium Term Financial Plan to  March 2017 as attached in Appendix 1 and cash limits 2014-15 as set out in Appendix 2 of the report;

3.             That approval be given to the General Fund Budget requirement for 2014-15 of £281.7m, net of Dedicated Schools Grant, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report;

4.             That approval be given to the Capital Programme to March 2017, comprising spending and funding of £294.4m as set out in Appendix 6 to the Cabinet report of 11 February 2014 (attached as Appendix 6 to the report);

5.             That approval be given to the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2014-15 and Medium Term Financial Plan to March 2017, as set out in Appendix 5 (attached as B to these minutes) to the Cabinet report of 11 February 2014 (attached as Appendix 6 to the report);

6.             That the Greater London Authority precept as detailed in paragraph 6.17 of the report be noted;

7.             That approval be given to the reserves policy, and that the revision to and creation of new reserves, as set out in Appendix 3 of the report, be noted;

8.             That the estimated level of un-earmarked general fund reserves as at 31 March 2013 of £20 million and specific and other reserves as set out in Appendix 3 of the report be approved;

9.             That the budget scrutiny recommendations made by the Overview  and Scrutiny Committee, and the responses of the Cabinet as set out in Appendix 7  to the Cabinet report of 11 February 2014 (attached at Appendix 6 to this report) be noted;

10.          That the report of the Chief Financial Officer  under Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 at paragraphs  7 and 8 on the robustness of the estimates and adequacy of proposed reserves be noted;

11.          That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2014-15 attached at Appendix 4 of the report be approved;

12.          That the budget resolution in the specified format as set out in the attached Appendix 5 of the report  and the consequent freeze in the Council’s element of Council Tax for 2014-15 be approved, determining that the Council’s relevant basic amount of Council Tax for the year was not excessive.

AGGREGATE OF COUNCIL TAX REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING THE GLA PRECEPT FOR 2014/15