At its meeting on 12 February, Cabinet will consider a report of the Head of Financial Services which presents the outcome of the budget consultation and seeks agreement of the Council’s Budget for 2020/21 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy for the following 3 years (published as a supplementary pack).

Cabinet is asked to make recommendations to Council. Any changes to the Head of Financial Services’ recommendations to Council and any amendments resulting from the Cabinet meeting will be tabled at the Council meeting.

Amendments to the budget proposed by opposition groups or individual councillors must be received by Committee Services before 1.00pm on Tuesday 12 February and will be circulated with the briefing note published that day.

Councillor Turner, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Asset Management, will present the report and move Cabinet’s recommendations.

The procedure for this item is set out in Part 11.4 of the Council’s Constitution.

Council is recommended to:

a.    consider Cabinet’s recommendations to Council, including the budget published as part of the agenda for this meeting along with any amendments resulting from the Cabinet meeting of 12 February tabled at this meeting;

b.    consider the substantive amendments proposed by the opposition groups; and published with the briefing note;

c.    consider individual amendments; and

d.    agree the recommendations from the Cabinet as presented to Council, or with further amendments as decided by Council.

Recommendation: Cabinet recommends subject to decisions at their meeting on 12 February that Council resolves to:

1.    approve the 2020-21 General Fund and Housing Revenue Account budgets and the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Plan as set out in Appendices 1-10 of the report, noting:

a.    the Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £24.183 million for 2020/21 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £6.13 per annum representing a Band D Council Tax of £313.92 per annum subject to confirmation of the referendum levels contained in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the report;

b.    the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2020/21 of £44.455 million and an increase of 2.70% (£3.06/wk) in social dwelling rents from 1 April 2020 giving a revised weekly average social rent of £105.32 as set out in Appendix 5 of the report;

c.    the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme as shown in Appendix 6 of the report;

2.    agree the fees and charges shown in Appendix 7 of the report;

3.    delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets the decision to determine whether it is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Distribution Agreement as referred to in paragraphs 13-15 of the report;

4.    approve a loan facility of up to £500k for working capital to the Council’s Joint Venture, Oxford West End Development Ltd (OxWed) at terms to be agreed by the Council’s Section 151 Officer as referred to in paragraph 37 of the report; and

5.    approve the payment into the County Council Pension Fund of £5 million as referred to in the Consultation Budget and paragraph 21 of the report;

6.    note the changes to Business Rates reliefs and discounts for 2020-21 as referred to in paragraph 12.

A recorded vote must be taken when voting to agree the final budget and medium term financial strategy.

Councillor Malik re-joined the meeting at the start of this item.

Councillors Corais and Munkonge arrived at this point.

Council had before it and considered:

·         The report of the Head of Finance to Cabinet on 12 February 2020 setting out the outcome of the budget consultation and seeking agreement of the Council’s Budget for 2020/21 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy for the following 3 years;

·         The additional recommendation agreed at that meeting: Agree the additional unbudgeted amount of RSI grant of £840k for 2020-21 is added to the Council’s Homelessness earmarked reserve.

·         The Liberal Democrat group’s submitted amendments published with the briefing note;

·         The Green group’s submitted amendments published with the briefing note;

·         The Head of Finance’s comments on the amendments published with the briefing note;

·         One individual amendment submitted and circulated  at the meeting

Councillor Turner, seconded by Councillor Brown, moved agreement of the Budget for 2020/21 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the seven recommendations from Cabinet.

a)    Liberal Democrat group amendments to the budget

Councillor Arshad arrived during this section of the debate.

Councillor Roz Smith, seconded by Councillor Wade, moved the Liberal Democrat group amendments. After debate these were put to the vote.

With more councillors voting against than for, the Liberal Democrat amendments were not carried.

b)   Green group amendments to the budget

Councillor Wolff, seconded by Councillor Simmons, moved the Green group amendments.After debate these were put to the vote.

With more councillors voting against than for, the Green group amendments were not carried.

c)    Individual amendment to the Cabinet budget as proposed

Councillors Garden and Roz Smith left the meeting during this section of the debate.

Councillor Hayes left the chamber for the duration of this part of the debate as this affected his DPI as the charity he worked for was involved with the group referred to in the amendment.

Councillor Turner left the chamber for the duration of this part of the debate as the amendment specifically referred to his Special Responsibility Allowance.

Councillor Wade, seconded by Councillor Gant, moved an amendment: award £5,000 in-year revenue spending to support the Art Bus, a project of the Art Room funded by stopping the additional Special Responsibility Allowance to the non-statutory deputy leader for one year from 1 April of as soon as possible thereafter.  This was to support the new venture and bring the benefit of art therapy to children across the city.

The S151 officer confirmed the proposals were arithmetically correct.

The Leader in responding to the amendment reminded councillors that this worthwhile project could be funded through their ward budgets or the by applying for a council grant.

After debate the amendment was put to the vote.

With more councillors voting against than for, the amendment was not carried.

d)   Decision on the Cabinet budget

Councillors Hayes and Turner returned to the chamber. Councillor Djafari-Marbini arrived during the debate on this item.

After a debate, the recommendations of the Cabinet agreed at their meeting on 12 February including the details of the medium term financial strategy, budget for 2020/21, capital programme, HRA, fees and charges and other matters as set out in the published agenda and briefing note for this meeting, and the additional recommendation as set out above, were put to the vote.

In accordance with legislative requirements, a recorded vote was then taken:

Forthe Cabinet recommendations to Council:

Councillors Arshad, Azad, Aziz, Bely-Summers , Brown, Chapman, Clarkson, Cook, Corais, Curran, Djafari-Marbini, Donnelly, Fry, Haines, Hayes, Henwood, Hollingsworth, Howlett, Humberstone, Kennedy, Lloyd-Shogbesan, Lygo, McManners, Malik, Munkonge, Pressel, Rowley, Rush, Simmons,  Linda Smith, Tanner, Tarver, Taylor, Tidball, Turner, Upton, Wolff (37).

Againstthe Cabinet recommendations to Council; Councillors Gant, Harris, Wade (3).

Abstentions: Councillors Altaf-Khan, Goddard, Landell Mills (3).

Council resolved in accordance with the named vote to:

1.      approve the 2020-21 General Fund and Housing Revenue Account budgets and the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Plan as set out in Appendices 1-10 of the report, noting:

a)    the Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £24.183 million for 2020/21 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £6.13 per annum representing a Band D Council Tax of £313.92 per annum subject to confirmation of the referendum levels contained in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the report;

b)    the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2020/21 of £44.455 million and an increase of 2.70% (£3.06/wk) in social dwelling rents from 1 April 2020 giving a revised weekly average social rent of £105.32 as set out in Appendix 5 of the report;

c)    the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme as shown in Appendix 6 of the report;

2.     agree the fees and charges shown in Appendix 7 of the report;

3.     delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets the decision to determine whether it is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Distribution Agreement as referred to in paragraphs 13-15 of the report;

4.     approve a loan facility of up to £500k for working capital to the Council’s Joint Venture, Oxford West End Development Ltd (OxWed) at terms to be agreed by the Council’s Section 151 Officer as referred to in paragraph 37 of the report; and

5.     approve the payment into the County Council Pension Fund of £5 million as referred to in the Consultation Budget and paragraph 21 of the report;

6.     note the changes to Business Rates reliefs and discounts for 2020-21 as referred to in paragraph 12; and

7.     agree the additional unbudgeted amount of RSI grant of £840k for 2020-21 is added to the Council’s Homelessness earmarked reserve.