Issue - meetings

  Report FSD24008

The report considered the Portfolio Holder’s draft 2024/25 Budget which incorporated the future cost pressures, planned mitigation measures, savings from transformation and other budget options reported to the Council’s Executive on 17 January 2024.  Members were requested to consider the initial draft budget being proposed and to identify further action that might be taken to reduce cost pressures facing the Local Authority over the next four years with a view to the Council’s Executive making recommendations to Council on the 2024/25 Council Tax levels.  There were still outstanding issues and areas of uncertainty remaining and any further updates would be included in the 2024/25 Council Tax report to the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 7 February 2024.

In response to a question from a Member on the high demand for temporary accommodation, the Head of Finance: Adults, Health and Housing agreed that growth pressures remained challenging but that a projected increase of twenty households per month had been factored into the draft 2024/25 budget which would help contain costs.  The Member asked whether selective licensing for private rented properties that were not Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) had been explored as an option and the Portfolio Holder confirmed that all housing options were considered but that licensing came under the remit of the General Purposes and Licensing Committee.  The Chairman further advised the Committee that Gareth Bacon MP had recently contacted the Home Office to highlight pressures on temporary accommodation in the London region from the placement of asylum seekers in local hotels.

RESOLVED: That:

1)  The update on the financial forecast for 2024/25 to 2027/28 be noted;

2)  The initial draft 2024/25 budget be noted as a basis for setting the 2024/25 budget; and,

3)  The Council’s Executive be recommended to note the comments of the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee on the initial draft 2024/25 budget at its meeting on 7 February 2024.