The Head of Financial Services will submit a report to the City Executive Board on 11 February which presents the outcome of the budget consultation and seeks agreement to the Council’s medium term financial strategy 2016-17 to 2019-20 and 2016-17 budget.

The draft minutes of the Board will be circulated with the briefing note.

The Leader will move the recommendations and the Head of Financial Services will be available to answer questions.

The published agenda for the City Executive Board contains the original recommendations to Council. The CEB supplement contains amended recommendations updated in light of changes to the settlement and to rent changes for sheltered housing to be considered on 11 February.

The amended recommendations before the City Executive Board are: to recommend Council to

1.    approve the General Fund Budget Requirement of £19.853 million for 2016/17 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £5.55 per annum as set out in Table 8 and Appendices 1-4, representing Band D Council Tax of £284.52 per annum. The additional amount of £146k over the four year period to go towards the funding of the Council’s General Fund Capital Programme;

2.    approve the continuance of the Council’s Council Tax Support scheme (formerly council tax benefit) ;

3.    approve the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2016/17 of £43.487 million and a reduction of 1% (£1.06/wk) in social dwelling rents from April 2016 giving a revised weekly average social rent of £104.79 as set out in Appendix 4 for all Council dwellings other than sheltered accommodation. In respect of sheltered accommodation that a rent increase of 0.9% is applied (average £0.88 per week increase) generating an additional income originally proposed of £27,000 for one year to be used in full or in part for improvements in the provision of sheltered accommodation.  Such changes will be subject to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill becoming law and no exemption being granted) but that in the event that an exemption or partial exemption is granted that the rent be increased in accordance with the terms of the exemption or partial exemption subject to notice being given to tenants of the proposed rent increase.  In that event a further report will be made to CEB and Council detailing the consequential effect on the Housing Revenue Account budget;

4.    approve the Capital Programme for 2016-20 as set out in Appendix 6 subject to funding availability from 2017-18 onwards;

5.    approve the fees and charges schedule as set out in Appendix 8; and

6.    delegate to the S151 officer on consultation with the Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health the decision to determine whether this is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Distribution agreement as referred to in paragraphs 17-18 in the report.

The City Executive Board will consider these and may make these or alternative recommendations to Council.

Opposition Group alternative budgets and amendments will be circulated with the briefing note.

The procedure for this item is at Agenda Item 4.

Recommendations: Council is recommended to:

1.    Consider the recommendations of the City Executive Board on 11 February, published in the draft minutes of that meeting;

2.    Consider the substantive amendments proposed by the opposition groups (‘opposition budgets’);

3.    Consider individual amendments; and

4.    Agree the recommendations from the City Executive Board for the Medium Term Financial Strategy, Budget, and additional matters (as originally proposed or as amended).

A recorded vote will be taken.

Councillors Goddard and Gotch left the meeting at the start of part b) and before the vote was taken.

Council had before it the report of the Head of Finance to the City Executive Board on 11 February 2016, referring to the appendices to the budget as circulated with that agenda, and the draft minutes of that meeting including seven recommendations.

Council had before it two alternative budget proposals submitted in advance as amendments to the City Executive Board’s budget, with supporting commentary. One set out the proposals of the Liberal Democrat Group, and one set out the proposals of the Green Group.

Councillor Ed Turner, seconded by Councillor Bob Price, moved the City Executive Board recommendations.

a)    Alternative budget proposals

Councillor Fooks, seconded by Councillor Altaf-Khan, moved and spoke to the Liberal Democrat Group alternative budget proposals (circulated with the briefing note).

After debate, these were put to the vote.

With more Councillors voting against than for, the Liberal Democrat Group alternative budget proposals were not carried.

Councillor Hollick, seconded by Councillor Simmons, moved and spoke to the Green Group alternative budget proposals (circulated with the briefing note).

After debate, these were put to the vote.

With more Councillors voting against than for, the Green Group alternative budget proposals were not carried.

b)   Amendment to the City Executive Board budget

Councillor Gant, seconded by Councillor Fooks, moved an amendment submitted in advance: £10,000 pa revenue spending from April 2016 indefinitely to support ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), to provide targeted help for an increasingly vulnerable group, funded by increasing parking charges at Alexandra Courts, Summertown.

The S151 officer confirmed this was feasible.

The Leader of the Council proposed an amendment to this which was accepted by the proposer:

£10,000 pa revenue spending from April 2016 indefinitely both to support ESOL and to provide general language support for refugees (to cover necessary unfunded services such as interpretation and translation including help with medical and legal cases), in order to provide targeted help for an increasingly vulnerable group, funded by increasing parking charges at Alexandra Courts, Summertown.

After debate, this further amendment was put to the vote.

With more Councillors voting for than against, the amendment was carried.

c)    Decision on City Executive Board budget as amended

After debate, the seven recommendations of the City Executive Board including the details of the medium term financial strategy, budget, capital programme, HRA, fees and charges and other matters as set out in the papers for the City Executive Board meeting and with the amendment agreed above, were put to the vote.

In accordance with procedure rules and as required by law a named vote was taken.

For the recommendations from the City Executive Board including the agreed amendment to the budget – Councillors Abbasi, Brown, Clack, Clarkson, Cook, Coulter, Darke, Fry, Haines, Hayes, Henwood, Hollingsworth, Kennedy, Lloyd-Shogbesan, Lygo, Malik, Munkonge, Pegg, Pressel, Price, Rowley, Sanders, Simm, Sinclair, Smith, Tanner, Tarver, Taylor, Turner, van Nooijen.

Against the recommendations in the report – None.

Abstentions – Councillors Altaf-Khan, Benjamin, Brandt, Fooks, Gant, Hollick, Simmons, Thomas, Wade, Wilkinson and Wolff.

Council resolved to:

1.    approve the General Fund Budget Requirement of £19.853 million for 2016/17 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £5.55 per annum as set out in Table 8 and Appendices 1-4 of the report submitted to the City Executive Board, representing Band D Council Tax of £284.52 per annum. The additional amount of £146k over the four year period to go towards the funding of the Council’s General Fund Capital Programme;

2.    approve as an amendment to the budget of £10,000 pa revenue spending from April 2016 indefinitely to support ESOL and provide general language support for refugees (to cover necessary unfunded services such as interpretation and translation including help with medical and legal cases), to provide targeted help for an increasingly vulnerable group, funded by increasing parking charges at Alexandra Courts, Summertown;

3.    approve the continuance of the Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme (formerly Council Tax Benefit);

4.    approve the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2016/17 of £43.487 million and a reduction of 1% (£1.06/wk) in social dwelling rents from April 2016 giving a revised weekly average social rent of £104.79 as set out in Appendix 4 for all Council dwellings other than sheltered accommodation. In respect of sheltered accommodation that a rent increase of 0.9% is applied (average £0.88 per week increase) generating an additional income originally proposed of £27,000 for one year to be used in full or in part for improvements in the provision of sheltered accommodation.  Such changes will be subject to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill becoming law and no exemption being granted) but that in the event that an exemption or partial exemption is granted that the rent be increased in accordance with the terms of the exemption or partial exemption subject to notice being given to tenants of the proposed rent increase.  In that event a further report will be made to CEB and Council detailing the consequential effect on the Housing Revenue Account budget;

5.    approve the Capital Programme for 2016-20 as set out in Appendix 6 subject to funding availability from 2017-18 onwards;

6.    approve the Fees & Charges schedule as set out in Appendix 8;

7.    delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Executive Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health the decision to apply for the four year funding settlement and determine whether it is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Distribution Agreement as referred to in paragraphs 13 and 17-18; and

8.    delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health the decision to join the Business Rates Distribution Group once business rates estimates for 2016-17 are known for all Districts within Oxfordshire.