Issue - meetings

Report FSD19007

Members considered the Portfolio Holder’s Draft 2019/20 Budget incorporating future cost pressures and initial draft budget saving options as reported to Executive on 16^th January 2019.

Executive asked each PDS Committee to consider the initial draft budget savings and cost pressures for their Portfolio. Views from each Committee would then be reported to the Executive when considering recommendations to Council on 2019/20 Council Tax levels.

Outstanding issues and areas of uncertainty continued to remain for the Draft 2019/20 Budget - any further updates would be included in the 2019/20 Council Tax report to Executive.

In discussion, brief reference was made to the new Environmental Services Contract from 1^st April 2019 particularly in regard to the Waste Disposal (Lot 1) and Waste Collection (Lot 2). This primarily accounted for an increased level of budget next year as there will be increased costs in Year 1 of the new contract. However, from Year 2 costs will decrease going forward.

On Highways, a Member felt that reducing the road maintenance budget would not be sensible given the condition of a number of roads in the borough. The Portfolio Holder indicated that a £1.17m lump sum had recently been provided from the Government’s announcement on local roads funding. This would support road maintenance in the borough and it could be expected that this investment together with Bromley’s own recent investment in highways would result in newer roads requiring less maintenance over the next few years. As such, a temporary road maintenance budget reduction should be able to be accommodated. Monitoring could also be undertaken by the Committee. However, the Member considered, taking account of the condition of the borough’s roads, that should £177k be removed from the budget, there would be increased costs longer-term.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the update on the financial forecast for 2019/20 to 2022/23 be noted;

(2)  the initial draft 2019/20 budget be noted as a basis for setting the 2019/20 budget; and

(3)  the Committee’s comments on the initial draft 2019/20 budget be provided for the Executive to consider at their meeting on 13^th February 2019.