Agenda item

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 voting changes which were introduced by the government in February 2014.

 

The Assistant Director Corporate Governance and Monitoring Officer – Mr Ryan advised the meeting that The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, and the Council’s Standing Orders required  the Council to 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. Mr Ryan advised that as the only requirement was to record in the minutes of the meeting how each member voted, and given that there were 6 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 nemine contradicente 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 Arthur  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 Elliott  MOVED 6 budget amendments as set out in the appendix (attached to the decision sheet marked ‘A’. Councillor  Engert seconded the amendments to the MOTION and reserved her right to speak during the debate.

 

A debate ensued and Members contributed to the discussion. 

 

Councillor Elliott, and then Councillor Arthur, responded to the proposals.

 

 

The 6 amendments to the Motions were then voted on individually .

 

 

Budget amendment 1

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

 

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

and no  abstentions

Amendment 1 was declared LOST.

 

Budget amendment 2

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

 

and no  abstentions

 

Amendment 2 was declared LOST.

 

Budget amendment 3

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

and no  abstentions

 

Amendment 3 was declared LOST.

 

Budget amendment 4

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

and no  abstentions

Amendment 4 was declared LOST.

 

Budget amendment 5

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

and no  abstentions

Amendment 5 was declared LOST.

 

Budget amendment 6

 

on being put to the vote

 

there were 9  in favour of the amendment (Councillors Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Hare, Morris, Newton, and Ross)

 

and

 

42 against (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

and no  abstentions

Amendment 6 was declared LOST.

 

In respect of the substantive recommendations as MOVED by Councillor Arthur:

 

On a vote:

 

 there being 42 for (Councillors Adje, Ahmet, Akwasi-Ayisi, Amin, Arthur, Basu, Berryman, Bevan, B Blake, M Blake, G Bull, Carroll, Christophides, Demirci, Doron, Gallagher, Goldberg, Griffith, Gunes, Hearn, Ibrahim, Jogee, Kober, Mallett, Mann, McNamara, McShane, Meehan, Morton, Ozbek, Patterson, Peacock, Reith, Rice, Ryan, Sahota, Stennett, Strickland, Vanier, Waters, Weston, and Wright)

 

and 8 against (Councillor Beacham, Carter, Connor, Elliott, Engert, Morris, Newton, and Ross) 

 

and 1  abstention (Councillor Hare,)   it was:

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.             That  the proposed budget package agreed by Cabinet on 10 February 2015 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 2018 as attached in Appendix 1 and cash limits 2015-16 as set out in Appendix 2 of the report;

3.             That approval be given to the General Fund Budget requirement for 2015-16 of £277.605m, 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 2018, comprising spending and funding of £157.660m as set out in Annexe 2 to the Cabinet report of 10 February 2014 (attached as Appendix 6 to the report);

5.             That approval be given to the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2015-16 and Medium Term Financial Plan to March 2018, as set out in Annexe 4 (attached as B to the decision sheet) 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 6.12 of the report be noted;

7.             That authority be delegated to the Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resources and Culture, to reflect any final changes to the level of the GLA precept in the Council’s Council Tax billing information set out in Appendix 5 of the report, subject to any change in the precept being below the level requiring the GLA to undertake a ‘referendum’, and that based on an analysis of the benchmark Band D properties, the delegated authority be limited to an increase in the GLA precept of £5.08 per annum

8.             That approval be given to the reserves policy including the Chief Financial Officer’s (CFO) assessment of risk, and assessment of the adequacy of current and projected reserves, as set out in Appendices 3a – 3c of the report;

9.             That the estimated level of un-earmarked General Fund reserves over the medium term financial planning period (2015 – 2018) and the specific and other reserves as set out in Appendix 3b of the report be approved;

10.          That the budget scrutiny recommendations made by the Overview  and Scrutiny Committee, and the responses of the Cabinet as set out in Annexe 6  to the Cabinet report of 10 February 2015 (attached at Appendix 6 to the report) be noted;

11.          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;

12.          That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2015-16 attached at Appendix 4 of the report be approved; and

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.          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 2015-16 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 2015/16

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
986.23	1,150.58	1,314.95	1,479.32	1,807.95	2,136.81	2,465.54	2,958.65