To submit the report of the Head of Finance.
Minutes:
Submitted - the report of the Head of Finance Department noting, in
accordance with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011,
that the Audit and Governance Committee was expected to scrutinise some
financial matters including budget monitoring reports,
where appropriate.
The Cabinet Member
for Finance set out the context and elaborated on the content of the report
submitted to the Cabinet on 21 November 2017. He noted that there was close
collaboration between the Finance Department and the Departments in order to
ensure robust management. He explained that the relevant Cabinet Members and
the Heads of Departments who were overspending were present at the Cabinet
meeting to discuss the situation. He provided details on the content of the
minutes of the Cabinet meeting which were shared with
the members at the meeting.
During the ensuing
discussion, officers and the Cabinet Member responded to members' enquiries as
follows:
·
The member would have to contact the Head of
Highways and Municipal Department to receive confirmation of the percentage
received when selling recycling material. It was explained that the prices
received for recycling material had dropped in recent years and this was not
unique to this Council;
·
The reasons for the overspend were noted in the
report and it did not mean a lack of service provisions;
·
The figures in terms of how many had taken
advantage of the opportunity to have up to four garden waste bins were not known to them, the member should contact the Head
of Highways and Municipal Department to receive confirmation. It was explained
that the fee charged for collecting garden waste meant that the residents'
choice to receive it would be cost neutral for the Council, and it would mean a
saving whether residents would take advantage of the provision or not.
Following the decision of the Full Council, as a result of the Gwynedd
Challenge consultation, to reduce the frequency of grass cutting, the Highways
and Municipal Department were overspending because the Department was cutting
grass more often than what had been decided;
·
In terms of predicting transportation costs in the
Education Department due to children moving into the area, the difficulties which meant that it was hard to predict were
noted. The pattern of the number of pupils from secondary to primary could be predicted in terms of transportation, but there was
an exception in terms of pupils with additional learning needs when the local
school did not have the necessary provision and support. It would mean that
pupils would travel further, with a number travelling from South Meirionnydd to
Ysgol Hafod Lon. It was
noted that the Education Department and the Environment Department were to
consider the matter with a view of discovering alternative solutions;
·
There had been a reduction in the grant the Council
received to provide free breakfast at schools, and as a result, the Council
charged a fee of £4 per week for the care element in the mornings in order to
be able to continue with the provision that was available in some schools;
·
In context, of the gross expenditure of over £5m,
the overspend of £146,000 under the 'Catering and Cleaning' heading in the
Education Department was not a substantial sum;
·
The Councillors and the Council were aware of the
financial situation and this Council's wise financial
planning was acknowledged as good practice by the Wales Audit Office and others.
RESOLVED to note the situation and the relevant risks in the context of the Council’s budgets and those of its departments.
Supporting documents: