Councillor Darke left the meeting towards the end of the debate but before the vote was taken.

Council had before it the report of the Head of Finance to the on 12 February 2015 and the decisions of the City Executive Board.

Council also had before it the report of the Scrutiny Finance Panel and the responses of the Executive Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health to the Panel’s recommendations.

Council had before it two alternative budget proposals submitted in advance as amendments to the City Executive Board’s budget, with supporting commentary and comments from the Head of Finance. 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 and spoke to City Executive Board recommendations.

He clarified that the final recommendation should read:

“approve an increase in the 2014-15 capital budget of £550,000 in relation to the property purchase referred to in paragraph 52and referred to elsewhere on the CEB agenda” and that this superseded the recommendation to Council in Minute 134 of the City Executive Board minutes.

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.

Amendments to the recommended budget

Amendment 1 (circulated with the briefing note)

Councillor Hollick, seconded by Councillor Simmons, moved a set of amendments submitted in advance. The S11 officer confirmed these were achievable.

After debate, these were put to the vote.

With more Councillors voting against than for, the amendments were not carried.

Amendment 2 (appended to these minutes)

Councillor Fooks, seconded by Councillor Altaf Khan, moved an amendment tabled at the meeting and circulated to all councillors. The S11 officer confirmed this was achievable.

After debate, this was put to the vote.

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

Councillors Hollick and Simmons said that the Green Group supported the Housing Revenue Account budget, although noted potential difficulties in later years, and supported the Capital Programme and in particular the programme for housing. However the Group could not support the revenue budget proposals.

The recommendations of the City Executive Board, with only the amendment put forward by the proposer, were put to the vote.

In accordance with procedure rule 11.11 (d) a named vote was taken.

For the City Executive Board recommendations– Councillors Abbasi, Anwar, Brown, Clack, Clarkson, Cook, Coulter, Fry, Haines, Hayes, Henwood, Hollingsworth, Humberstone, Kennedy, Lloyd-Shogbesan, Lygo, Malik, Munkonge, Paule, Pressel, Price, Rowley, Sanders, Seamons, Simm, Sinclair, Smith, Tanner, Tarver, Turner, Upton, and Van Nooijen.

Against the City Executive Board recommendations– Councillors Altaf-Khan, Fooks, Gant, Goddard, Gotch, Royce, Wade, and Wilkinson.

Abstentions – Councillor Brandt, Hollick, Simmons, Thomas, and Wolff.

With more Councillors voting for than against, the recommendations of the City Executive Board, with only the amendment put forward by the proposer were carried.

Council resolved to:

1.     approve the Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £23.304 million for 2015/16 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £5.44 per annum as set out in Table 8 and Appendices 1-4, representing a Band D Council Tax of £278.97 per annum;

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

3.     approve the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2015/16 to 2024/25 as set out in Appendix 5 and 6 and an increase in average dwelling rent of 3.49% for April 2015 representing £3.59 per week an annual average rent of £105.77 as set out in Appendix 7;

4.     approve the Capital Programme for 2015/16 to 2018/19 as set out in Appendix 8 and 9;

5.     approve the Fees & Charges schedule as set out in Appendix 10;

6.     adopt the criteria for adopting the Business Rates Retail Relief scheme as set out in paragraph 21 and transitional relief as set out in paragraphs 22 – 24; and

7.     approve an increase in the 2014-15 capital budget of £550,000 in relation to the property purchase referred to in paragraph 52 and referred to elsewhere on the CEB agenda.

The Head of Finance submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which detailed the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2015/16 to 2018-19 and the 2015-16 Budget for recommendation to Council.

Cllr Turner, Board member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report.  He stated that the Council had lost 47% of its Government grant since 2010.

He highlighted the following elements in the budget:

·         The purchase of St Aldate’s Chambers will save the Council considerable money in rent

·         Council tax is set to increase by 1.99, which equates to approx £5.00 per household.

·         Funding available to improve and maintain the Town Hall

·         Extra capital for energy efficiency project, skate parks and drainage of football pitches

·         The Council will start removing graffiti on private property for free.

·         City centre ambassadors project to continue

·         Thames Water catchment group

·         £250K[1] available for  youth ambition work

·         The Oxford Living wage has been increase

·         Planning enforcement work in the private sector

The public consultation was strongly supported and was broadly positive.

Officers have been relentless in efficiency savings, Council has a  great partnership with trade unions

Cllr Simms and Kennedy commended the continual delivery of the Youth Ambition programme, especially at a time when many councils have reduced their youth services.

Cllr Rowley welcomed the £4.7M in regeneration funding allocated to Barton over the next 5 years, and the money available for the Leys Housing projects.

Cllr Seamons mention the 200 new homes being built in Blackbird leys and the £250,000 allocated for energy efficiency measures for council tenants

Cllr Sinclair welcomed the continual funding for the city centre ambassadors project and the additional funding for CCTV cameras in St Clements which was welcomed by the business community.

The Chief Executive outlined the managerial issues in the budget. This was the first time the council was considering a 0% rate support grant by 2018/19. This budget has been made possible through council trading, efficiency savings and a strong relationship with trade unions.

 The Council had

1. secured £6M through the LEP and the Growth fund,

2. retained Council housing stock

3. retained services in-house, which had allowed greater efficiency savings.

4. Continued to have no compulsory redundancies for frontline staff.

He thanked Nigel Kennedy, Head of Finance for all his hard work at putting the budget together.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.  APPROVE the amendments to the Consultation Budget following the public consultation process

2 RECOMMEND THAT COUNCIL:

a) APPROVES the Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £23.304 million for 2015/16 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.99% or £5.44 per annum as set out in Table 8 and Appendices 1-4, representing a Band D Council Tax of £278.97 per annum.

b) APPROVES the continuance of the Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme (formerly Council Tax Benefit)

c) APPROVES the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2015/16 to 2024/25 as set out in Appendix 5 and 6 and an increase in average dwelling rent of 3.49% for April 2015 representing £3.59 per week an annual average rent of £105.77 as set out in Appendix 7

d) APPROVES the Capital Programme for 2015/16 -2018-19 as set out in Appendix 8 and 9;

e) APPROVES the Fees & Charges schedule as set out in Appendix 10

f) ADOPTS the criteria for adopting the Business Rates Retail Relief scheme as set out in paragraph 21 and transitional relief as set out in paragraphs 22 – 24

g) APPROVES an increase in the 2014-15 capital budget of £550,000 in relation to the property purchase referred to in paragraph 43 and referred to elsewhere on the CEB agenda.

The Head of Finance submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which proposes a Medium Term Financial Strategy and a 2015/16 Budget for consultation.

Cllr Turner, Board Member for Finance, Asset Management and Public Health presented the report. Nationally the Council is expecting more local government cuts, however the Council has been able to safe guard support services. The assumption is that by 2018/19 we will no longer receive a revenue support grant.

The Council’s new homes bonus was better than expected and has yielded an extra £154k per annum.

The budget will:

Continue with efficiencies savings

Continue to pay Oxford Wage

Safeguard grants and apprenticeships funding

£101M will be spent over 4 years to build new homes, and renovate the estates with an additional £96 million over the next 10 years on new build, energy related works and estate regeneration.

Invest in regeneration projects in Blackbird Leys

Improve Barton community facilities,

Undertake an energy efficiencies audits of the housing stock

Increase Council housing rents by an average of 3.49% in 2015/16

No Government announcement has been made on the level of the government grant for the 2015/16 year and the referendum threshold has not been made, but it could be less than 1%.

Thank you to Nigel Kennedy and the Finance team for all their hard work. 

The Head of Finance explained recommendation 2. He outlined the implications of being in and outside a Business Rate pool in terms of the amount of levy given to the Government for additional busy rates income over and above a baseline position. The levy percentage is generally less for those authorities in a pool than for those outside. However, there are financial benefits for the County as a whole to exclude authorities from the pool and Chief Financial Officers are looking to reimburse those authorities that are excluded, under a Business Rates Distribution Group Agreement.

Cllr Seamons stated that a lot of the HRA budget was being spent on the energy efficiency programme to improve the insulation of the council housing stock.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1. Approve the 2015-16 budget for consultation, including the General Fund and    Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Plan as per the attached Appendices 1-10 noting the following key assumptions:

a) the Council’s General Fund Budget Requirement of £23.133 million for 2015/16 and an increase in the Band D Council Tax of 1.50% or £4.10 per annum representing a Band D Council Tax of £277.63 per annum

b) the continuance of the Councils Council Tax Support scheme (formerly Council Tax Benefit) as referred to in para 31

c) the Housing Revenue Account budget for 2015/16 to 2024/25 as set out in Appendix 6 and an increase in average dwelling rent of 3.49% for April 2015  representing £3.59 per week an annual average rent of £105.77 as set out in Appendix 7

2. Delegate to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Board Member for Finance and Assets to determine whether it is financially advantageous for the Council to enter into a Business Rates Pool referred to in paragraphs 21-23 or a Business Rates Distribution Agreement as referred to in paragraphs 24-26