Issue - meetings

To accept the report on the end of November review (30 November 2025 position) of the capital programme.

To approve the following revision to the Capital Budget, approved on 6 March 2025 and revised on 11 November 2025, from the programme’s financing perspective (as shown in part 3.2.3 of the report), that is: 

- a decrease of £7,544,000 in the use of borrowing

- an increase of £2,660,000 in the use of grants and contributions

- an increase of £103,000 in the use of revenue contributions

- a decrease of £2,387,000 in the use of the capital reserve

- an increase of £6,364,000 in the use of renewal and other reserves.

The report was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys.

DECISION

To accept the report on the end of November review (30 November 2025 position) of the capital programme.

To approve the following revision to the Capital Budget, approved on 6 March 2025 and revised on 11 November 2025, from the programme’s financing perspective (as shown in part 3.2.3 of the report), that is: 

- a decrease of £7,544,000 in the use of borrowing,

- an increase of £2,660,000 in the use of grants and contributions,

- an increase of £103,000 in the use of revenue contributions,

- a decrease of £2,387,000 in the use of the capital reserve

- an increase of £6,364,000 in the use of renewal and other reserves.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted, noting that it presented the revised capital programme (situation as at 30 November 2025), and to approve adjustments to the relevant financing sources.

Reference was made to part 3.2.2 of the report, which offered an analysis per Department of the £152 million capital programme for the 3 years from 2025/26 - 2027/28.

It was stated that definitive plans were in place to invest £93.7 million in 2025/26 on capital schemes, with £48.2 million, 51% of it, funded through specific grants.

It was added that an additional £6 million of proposed spending had been re-profiled from 2025/26 to 2026/27 and 2027/28. It was mentioned that Appendix 2 included the main plans that had slipped since the original budget.

Reference was made to the additional grants that the Council had managed to attract since the last review, which could be seen in part 3.2.4 of the report.

It was mentioned that information about the Council's Capital Prudential Indicators could be seen in Appendix 4, which was a reporting requirement in the CIPFA Prudential Code. It was explained that the Council had complied with its policy on borrowing for capital purposes.

It was highlighted that the report had been submitted to the Governance and Audit Committee a week earlier.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       Attention was drawn to the reliance on grants, and it was noted that it highlighted the shortfall from the Welsh Government in funding Local Government.

·       Frustration was expressed that calls for multi-year settlements had not been responded to, and that there was no way of planning ahead as a result of that.