Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Nina Davies, Director of Social Services and Housing.            

To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest reported.

To consider a report by County Councillor David Thomas, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation.

Proposed Amendment to the 2024-25 Draft Revenue Budget

Cabinet considered an amendment to the draft revenue budget for 2024-25 to be presented for consideration by Full Council following information received from Welsh Government advising of potential additional funding for Welsh Local Authorities. Powys’ share of the funding was estimated to be in the region of £570k. It was proposed that any additional revenue funding received be allocated in full to the schools delegated budget and that any additional grant funding transferred into the final settlement be allocated at an equivalent value to the service areas currently in receipt of those grants.

The additional funding was welcomed.

RESOLVED to approve the following for inclusion in the Revenue Budget for 2024/25 proposed to Council on the 22^nd February 2024:-

1.    Any additional revenue funding received as a result of the £14.4million consequential and included in the final settlement is allocated in full to the schools delegated budget.

2.  Any additional grant funding transferring into the Final Settlement is allocated at an equivalent value to the service areas currently in receipt of those grants.

3.  A review of how the funding under 2 above is utilised is undertaken during 2024/25 to ensure that the use of funding meets the objectives and priorities of the Council and where this is not the case an exit plan can be established and actioned and any virement of the funds can be considered.

Scrutiny Committee recommendations on the Budget and Cabinet Responses

The Scrutiny Committee recommendations on the Budget and Cabinet responses were considered. The Chair of the Finance Panel, County Councillor Aled Davies, and the Chair of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee, County Councillor Gwynfor Thomas, highlighted the issues that had been raised by the Panel and the Committee.  

Expanding on the response in the document to the Finance Panel’s comment on the transformation of services, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation rejected the claim that this was a holding budget, noting that it ensured that the Council was able to work with its budget for the next four years. He pointed out that the budget included savings as a result of Sustainable Powys. He further noted that Sustainable Powys was continuing at pace and a number of reviews and the engagement process were underway. He also rejected the call for a 10 year capital programme given the uncertainty over the national financial picture.

Cabinet did not accept that there was a crisis in Welsh medium education and noted the progress that had been made. The Chair of the Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee explained that the word crisis had been used in the meeting. While he was content to remove it from the recommendation, the point the Committee was making was that with budgets so tight, individual schools would not be able to concentrate any efforts or finance on developing Welsh language in their schools or to promote TROCHI. The Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys noted that proposals  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.