Venue: By Zoom. View directions
Contact: Wyn Richards
No. | Item | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apologies To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from: County Councillors: J Pugh, G Ratcliffe. Officer: W Richards. Lay Member, L Hamilton – observer
|
|||||||
Election of Chair and Vice-Chair Arising from the Annual Meeting of the Council, to elect a Chair and Vice-Chair for the ensuing year. Minutes: RESOLVED that County Councillor Aled Davies be elected Chair for the ensuing year.
RESOLVED that County Councillor Pete Lewington be elected Vice-Chair for the ensuing year.
Acknowledged the re-appointment of Gareth Hall as the Governance and Audit Committee Representative to Finance Panel for the ensuing year. |
|||||||
To receive the minutes of meetings held on 28th April 2023. Minutes: Documents Considered: 28.04.2023
Outcomes: · Minutes agreed by Panel members present as a true and accurate reflection of the meetings and ratified accordingly by the Chair.
Actions completed:
1. Governance & Audit Working Groups outcomes to be added to Forward Work Programme when appropriate. Verbal progress updates received from Gareth Hall as follows: HTR: Internal Audit report on Highways drawing to a close, excellent interchange with Officers, satisfied with actions taken and will be a follow up Audit to validate. HOWPS: Work ongoing and liaising with internal group as work embedding back with the Council. Outcome Report should be presented to Panel in near future. Capital: Early on the group made the distinction between the current Councils asset base, what it is and how it is managed, looking at new projects within the Capital programme which add to that base, procurement process and financing. There are many examples of good practice across the Council i.e., Post Covid rationalisation of the Estate, working with other bodies to attain full occupation through subletting and renting out of workspace, as in County Hall where there has been approximately £1m of investment. It would be good to have a higher profile on such positive outcomes. Asset Review of the Council is yet to be completed, to allow for cross referencing. This is purely looking at buildings and properties, the Capital Programme has a broader spectrum of other assets i.e., vehicles, equipment, IT. The Schools Capital Programme has been reviewed with a 9-year ambitious rolling programme. Have reviewed not only the business planning process but also the 5year Medium Term Financial Plan, a Capital programme should really span 10-years. This will be put into context with Sustainable Powys projects and the Corporate Plan priorities with how these will be translated into actions, what assets are to be retained to provide the best outcomes for the residents of Powys, and what assets are to be disposed of or put into 3rd party ownership, to generate additional income to contribute to budgetary demands. 2. Grant Advice notes for 2022/23 information to be forwarded to Chair. Received, Chair may wish to have further information.
Actions Outstanding from last meeting: - 1. Chair/ Vice Chair and Head of Service to discuss wording of Terms of Reference. 2. Head of Service to discuss outside this forum PTHB contract and uplifts. Chair to be involved in discussion. 3. Information on receipt of £2.2m Capital Efficiency works grant to be forwarded to Chair / Panel. 4. Head of Service will review comment in relation to funding returned to WG and advise. Not yet received detail from the Member concerned after raising, nor has Head of Service been able to uncover anything other than a small amount of grant funding returned. Head of Service to seek information from the Member concerned. 5. Bro Hyddgen capital project delivery timescales, Head of Service will request information and forward to Panel. |
|||||||
Disclosures of Interest To receive any disclosures of interests by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting. Minutes: There were no Declarations of Interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.
|
|||||||
Financial Outturn Revenue Report 2022/23 as at 31st March 2023 PDF 267 KB To receive and consider the Financial Outturn Revenue Report 2022/23 as at 31st March 2023
Minutes: Background: Cabinet Member for Finance & Corporate Transformation commented that the outturn was far better than expected, although a large surplus does not necessarily point to good management, however there were reasons: At Quarter 1 last year, it became very apparent the Council were forecasting potentially a £7m deficit at year end, a plea to services to review and create as many efficiencies as possible, in which they succeeded, and these contributed to the underspend. The economic forces i.e., inflation, War in Ukraine impacted pressures on the budget, as well as grant from WG arriving late in the financial year, the position has set the Council up well for the new year where we continue to face significant pressure and managing the budget will be still very difficult.
· Final outturn reports a net underspend after contributions to specific reserves of £6.7m, though against the budget it is a 3% variance – excludes schools and Housing Revenue Account (HRA). · This was an improved position from that reported in February as a result of some additional grant funding from Welsh and UK Governments – Shared Prosperity Fund, confirmation of which arrived late in the financial year, therefore reflected as such in the accounts. · The position has released funding to support the pay award pressures. The base budget set for 2023/24 recognised increases on pay but the negotiations have exceeded assumptions, therefore setting aside much of the underspend will help support those costs for 2023/24. · Underspend will only support the budget for one year and not the ongoing base budget which creates an additional gap in the budget plan for 2024/25. · As previously agreed, any underspend on capital elements of the revenue budget (Minimum Revenue Provision or borrowing) will be transferred to the Capital Financing reserve to support the Capital Programme or minimise borrowing requirements in future years. · Section 3 sets out delivery against budget across all Council services, Children’s Services reported an overspend of £2m, some of which was the inability to deliver against savings projected, where savings are no longer possible, they have been written out of the budget plan 2023/24 · Largest underspend of £4m reported under Corporate Activities, where the Risk budget and Capital element mentioned earlier sit. · Use of surplus confirmed with £2.3m for Capital, £3.8m into the pay award reserve. The balance of transformation funding that was not spent, to be rolled forward to support future transformation costs. · Table 1 the HRA ended the year with a slight surplus, which will be transferred to the HRA reserve. · Schools Delegated budgets reported a £2.6m variance against budget. · Delivery of cost reductions was 78%. with some written out of the budget and some carried forward as assurance given that they can be delivered in the new financial year. · Reserves table shows the General Fund Reserve represents 4.2% of the Revenue Budget, in line with the set principle of 4%. · Schools had intended to draw heavily on reserves however only £2.3m was drawn from reserves, reducing the overall balance from £8.6m to ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
|||||||
Financial Outturn Capital Report 2022/23 as at 31st March 2023 PDF 155 KB To receive and consider the Financial Outturn Capital Report 2022/23 as at the 31st March 2023 Minutes: Background: · Original programme of £134m of which £25m was the HRA. · Spend at year end was £65m of which £15m HRA, Table 2.2 shows the services remaining budget. · The majority of the underspends were rolled forward into future years. · Table 2.5 sets out how the Capital Programme is financed, 54% funded by grant,13% funded from revenue, 0% Capital Receipts with £21m financed via borrowing which is a drop from where it was at the beginning of the year. · There is an ongoing pattern that grants are awarded in year and borrowing reduces. · Section 3 sets out the grants received since last report, · Section 4 sets out the funding that has been carried forward to 2023/24. · Section 5 covers the virements. · Capital Receipts received for 2022/23 totalled just under £3m, including £400k for the HRA. · At year end there are £1.14m sales still agreed but had not been finalised expected now in 2023/24.
|
|||||||
Forward Work Programme PDF 72 KB To note that the schedule of meetings is as follows: Minutes: Additions: Review of TOR to be added in July or September
Governance & Audit Committee, Working Groups Outcome reports – Nov 2023.
|
|||||||
Exempt Item To consider passing the following Resolution:
RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following item. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting. Minutes: The following Resolution was passed by the Panel:
RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following item. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting. |
|||||||
Update on Progress with Sustainable Powys (Re-Imagining) Work To receive and consider an Update on Progress with Sustainable Powys (Re-Imagining) Work. Minutes: A confidential presentation on Sustainable Powys was shared with Finance Panel Members.
|