To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 18^th June 2019

The Minutes of the last meeting held on 18^th June were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To report the final position on the Council’s Revenue budget 2018/19.

Purpose

To report the final position on the Council’s revenue accounts for 2018/19

Reasons For Decision

To conclude the revenue budget monitoring process for 2018/19 and report the final outturn position as outlined in the Council’s Statement of Accounts for 2018/19.

Decision

The Executive recognised the work of the previous administration and recommended that Full Council approve:

a)        The final position on the Council’s revenue account for 2018/19 which shows a break even position.  This remains unchanged from the outturn position estimated during quarter 3 budget monitoring.

b)        The transfers to/from Earmarked Reserves totalling a net £0.468m addition to reserves (see Appendix 2).

c)         The approval of additional revenue budget carry forward requests from Heads of Service totalling £0.128m (see Appendix 3).

To report the 2018/19 Capital Budget outturn position; and to seek approval for a revised 2019/20 capital budget to include carry forward from 2018/19.

Purpose

To report to Members on the performance of the 2018/19 capital investment programme and present the financing of capital expenditure incurred during 2018/19; and to seek approval for a revised 2019/20 capital budget after incorporating net carry forward commitments (slippage) from 2018/19.

Reasons For Decision

To conclude the capital budget monitoring process for 2018/19 and report the final outturn position as outlined in the Council’s Statement of Accounts for 2018/19.  Also, to increase the 2019/20 Council capital programme for amounts carried forward from 2018/19 and other budget adjustments.

Decision

The Executive recognised the work of the previous administration and recommended that Full Council approve:

a)    The final position on capital spending and financing of £6.422m for 2018/19 as shown in Appendices  1 & 2, which equates to 81% of the final resources position.

b)    The revised capital budget for 2019/20 totalling £19.625m as outlined in Appendix 3, (including net carry forward of £1.401m).

To inform members of the Council’s Treasury Management Activity during 2018/19.

Purpose

To inform members of the Council’s treasury management activity during 2018/19.

Reason for Decision

To comply with the regulations issued under the Local Government Act 2003 to produce an annual treasury management report review of activities and the actual prudential and treasury indicators for 2018/19. This report meets the requirements of both the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management (the Code) and the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities (the Prudential Code). Performance against the approved prudential and treasury indicators are shown in Appendix 1.

During  2018/19 the minimum reporting requirements were that Full Council should receive the following reports:

•           an annual treasury strategy in advance of the year (Council 21 February 2018)

•           a mid-year treasury update report (Council 19 December 2018)

•           an annual review following the end of the year describing the activity compared to the strategy (this report).

The regulatory environment places responsibility on Members for the review and scrutiny of treasury management policy and activities.  This report is therefore important, as it provides details of the outturn position for treasury activities and highlights compliance with the Council’s policies previously approved by Members.

This Council confirms that it has complied with the requirement under the Code to give prior scrutiny to all of the above treasury management reports by the Scrutiny Committee before they were reported to Full Council. Member training on treasury management issues was undertaken during the year on 10 December 2018 in order to support Members’ scrutiny role.

Decision

That Full Council be recommended to note the annual treasury management activity for the year ended 31 March 2019.

To note the executive Portfolios for 2019/20 updated by the Leader from 20.06.19

Purpose

To inform the Executive of its new membership, and to note the Executive Portfolios effective from 20^th June 2019.

Reasons for Decision

To ensure that the Executive has been informed at the earliest opportunity of the changes which have been made from 20^th June 2019 by the Leader to the Executive Members and their remits, as required by Part 2 of the Constitution.

Decision

That the Executive Portfolios, and the membership of the Executive be noted.

To determine during which items, if any, the public are to be excluded from the meeting and to consider the exclusion of the public from the meeting before discussion takes place on the following items of business on the grounds that in view of the nature of the business to be transacted if the public were present there would be a disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of Part VA of the Local Government Act 1972.

Purpose

To consider when it may be relevant to exclude the public from the meeting.

Reason for Decision

Minute number 23 contains exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Decision

That the public be excluded from the meeting before discussion takes place on the items relating to minute 23 in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, if the public were present, there would be a disclosure to them of exempt information, within the meaning of Paragraph 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

To seek the waiving of relevant Standing Orders, in order to enable the Council to participate in a joint procurement exercise with other Lancashire Councils, led by Lancaster City Council.

Purpose

To seek the waiving of relevant Standing Orders, in order to enable the Council to participate in a joint procurement exercise with other Lancashire Councils, led by Lancaster City Council.

Reasons for Decision

To enable the Council to utilise external grant funds and benefit from a multi-district procurement to deliver electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and to support the borough’s work to address climate change issues but improving air quality and to increase the availability of electric charge points across the borough. 

Decision

1.    That the Head of Streetscene, in consultation with the Head of Finance and Property and the Executive Member for Community and Environmental Services, be given delegated authority to accept the most economically advantageous contract.  

2.    That the Head of Streetscene in consultation with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services is granted delegated authority to execute all documents necessary to give effect to the above decision.