Agenda item

The Full Council considered a report setting out the Mayor’s 2018-19 budget recommendations.

 

The Lord Mayor drew members’ attention to the budget procedure to be followed.

 

At this point, on the motion of the Lord Mayor, it was

 

 

RESOLVED:

That the relevant standing orders (policy and budget framework procedure rules) be suspended, noting that the procedure to be followed at this meeting is at variance with the Council’s standing orders.

 

The Mayor then moved the budget report.

 

Cllr Cheney, Deputy Mayor for Finance, Governance and Performance then seconded the report.

 

Cllr Gollop then presented comments on behalf of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board

 

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 3.45 pm and reconvened at 4.05 pm

 

On the meeting being reconvened, the Full Council then (under section 5 of the procedure) considered and debated each of the proposed budget amendments, as follows:

 

 

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT BUDGET AMENDMENT

Amendment summary: Investing in parks, open spaces and street trees; More funding for the Better Lives programme; Reverse library cuts, maintain a full network; Investing in communities and area boards; Improve flood protection; Reduce capital financing; School expansion in south Bristol; Aids & adaptations - private homes; Remove capital contingency; Investing in parks and play; Investing in libraries - better access fund.

Funding source: Investing CIL into capital programme.

 

Councillor Kent moved the amendment.

 

Councillor Negus seconded the amendment.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was LOST

(29 members voting for the amendment, 37 against, with 2 abstentions).

 

 

GREEN BUDGET AMENDMENT 1

Amendment summary: Increase funding for the Local Crisis Prevention Fund, which provides one-off emergency support for the most vulnerable people (this was cut by £1.05m or approx. 70% in the 2017-18 budget).

Funding source: Increase income from skip, scaffold and hoarding licenses (the fee paid by developers for blocking the highway) by £100k.

 

Councillor Denyer moved the amendment.

 

Councillor Fodor seconded the amendment.

 

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was CARRIED

(65 members voting for the amendment, none against, with 1 abstention).

 

 

GREEN BUDGET AMENDMENT 2

Amendment summary: Buy/refurbish 2 properties to run small scale (2 or 3 bed) specialist children’s homes.

Funding source: Use part of the capital contingency / Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) drawdown, instead of putting it all into reserves.

 

Councillor Combley moved the amendment.

 

Councillor Stevens seconded the amendment.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was CARRIED

(66 members voting for the amendment, none against, with 1 abstention).

 

 

GREEN BUDGET AMENDMENT 3

Amendment summary: Put an additional £30k into the parks budget to allow the parks department to operate reducing the pressure to introduce advertising in parks.

Funding source: Charge for the car parking passes for City Hall which are currently issued free to councillors, aldermen and senior council staff.

 

Councillor Combley moved the amendment.

 

Councillor Hance seconded the amendment.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was LOST

(12 members voting for the amendment, 47 against, with 6 abstentions).

 

 

GREEN BUDGET AMENDMENT 4

Amendment summary: Hire/retain a planner for half a year to gather the evidence needed to support the university expansion mitigation proposals in the Local Plan (being consulted on currently) and any SPD/practice notes required.

Funding source: Use £25k from the MRP drawdown, instead of putting it all into reserves*

 

Councillor Stevens moved the amendment.

* Note: As part of the moving of the amendment, it was noted and clarified that, in the event of this amendment being carried and included in the 2018/19 budget, the Section 151 Officer had advised that in terms of implementing the amendment, the funding source would be £25k drawn from ring-fenced planning fees (i.e. not funded from the MRP drawdown).

 

Councillor Lake seconded the amendment.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was CARRIED

(65 members voting for the amendment, none against, with 1 abstention).

 

 

CONSERVATIVE BUDGET AMENDMENT 

Amendment summary: Partially restore the Parks services budget; Restore Wellbeing grants to NP successor bodies; Partially restore cuts to library service budget; Partial (then full) restoration of discretionary rate relief for charities, voluntary groups and not for profit organisations; Restore, then increase spending on PCSOs.

Funding source: Remove funding for Brussels office; Reduction (50%) in PR & consultation; Introduce change to local council tax reduction scheme with staged increase; Remove expenditure on the Poet Laureate position in Bristol City Council.

 

Councillor Hiscott moved the amendment.

 

Councillor Goulandris seconded the amendment.

 

Following debate, upon being put to the vote, the amendment was LOST

(11 members voting for the amendment, 56 against, with 1 abstention).

 

 

At the conclusion of the Full Council’s consideration of, and voting on the individual budget amendments, the Lord Mayor clarified (under section 6 of the procedure) that the following amendments had been CARRIED:

Green budget amendment 1

Green budget amendment 2

Green budget amendment 4

 

Also under section 6 of the procedure, on the motion of the Lord Mayor, the Full Council noted the Section 151 Officer’s statement regarding the robustness of the budget estimates.

 

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6.05 pm and reconvened at 6.15 pm

 

On the meeting being reconvened, there was then (under section 7 of the procedure) a general debate on the budget proposals.

 

At the conclusion of the debate, the Mayor responded to the debate and to the Full Council’s earlier consideration of the budget amendments.  The Mayor indicated at this point that he was minded to accept an amended budget, i.e. incorporating Green budget amendment 1, Green budget amendment 2 and Green budget amendment 4.

 

On the motion of the Lord Mayor, seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor, the Full Council then

 

RESOLVED (37 members voting in favour, 28 against with 3 abstentions):

 

 

That Full Council NOTES:

 

a) The report from the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board as outlined in Appendix 10.

 

b) The budget consultation process that was followed and feedback as outlined in Section 18 and Appendix 7.

 

c) That the consultation feedback and equality impact assessments have been taken into consideration and have informed the final budget proposals.

 

d) The comments of the Acting Executive Director of Resources (Section 151 Officer) on the robustness of the budget and adequacy of reserves as set out at paragraph 16.

 

 

That Full Council AGREES:

 

e) The Bristol City Council levels of Council Tax increase of 4.99%; which includes 2% to support Adult Social Care and noting the precepts of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, and the Avon Fire Authority.

 

f) The Council’s General Fund net revenue budget for the year 2018/19 (as amended by Green budget amendment 1, Green budget amendment 2 and Green budget amendment 4, as carried under Section 5 of the budget procedure at this meeting) as £355.8 million and Directorate expenditure allocations as set out in Appendix 1 and savings proposals identified in Appendix 6 (£76.4 million).

 

g) The Council’s capital budget (including the HRA) for the year 2018/19 as £244.4 million (paragraph 14) and the setting of the capital budget for each of the Council’s directorates.

 

h) The Council’s provisional capital budget (including the HRA) for the years 2019/20 - 2022/23 totalling £700.5 million as set out in paragraph 14 and detailed in Appendix 2.

 

i) The proposed total Schools budget of £341.3 million for 2018/19 as set out in paragraph 10, which will be funded by the Dedicated Schools Grant.

 

j) The proposed Treasury Management Strategy for 2018/19 in Appendix 4, incorporating the Minimum Revenue Provision policy and the prudential indicators and limits.

 

k) The calculations for determining the Council Tax requirement for the year 2018/19 in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as set out in Appendix 9.

 

l) To approve the Strategy for the Flexible use of Capital Receipts as set out in Appendix 5.

 

m) The delegation of authority to the Acting Executive Director of Resources & Section151 Officer, after consultation with the Deputy Mayor for Finance, Governance and Performance and the Mayor to make any necessary technical adjustments to the figures upon receipt of any further details associated to the final Local Government Finance Settlement.