PAPER D
CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE – 13 NOVEMBER 2003
BUDGET SCRUTINY
REASON FOR
CONSIDERATION
To determine the best way forward for Select Committees to participate
in the annual budget process.
ACTION REQUIRED BY THE COMMITTEE
To agree a process on how Select Committees
should have a constructive input into the annual budget cycle.
BACKGROUND
The introduction of the new political arrangements, and in particular
the development of the role of overview and scrutiny committees, has challenged
Members to build on their existing skills and knowledge. No area has been as taxing or demanding as
the effective scrutiny of the Council’s annual budget process.
Liaison with other local authorities confirms that there has been
little success in Select Committees devising alternative budget strategies and
actually converting these proposals through the Executive or Cabinet, into real
change outcomes.
Within our own organisation, a new service planning and budget cycle
has been introduced and my earlier paper examined the effectiveness of the
service planning procedure. This paper
seeks guidance upon how Members may wish to scrutinise, influence and input
into the annual budget cycle.
Members are reminded that the Executive will be conducting a series of
informal meetings to examine and prioritise budget bids and strategy. Concurrently, a series of Headroom
exercises, which will critically examine specific areas of council service,
together with an input from the Directors’ Management Team, will all provide
recommendations to the Executive.
RELEVANT PLANS,
POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
This report is seeking to examine the effectiveness of the scrutiny
role in looking critically at the budget process, which forms an integral part
of the whole Council’s Performance Management framework.
CONSULTATION
PROCESS
The review of the budget process and service planning does enable
Members to ask searching questions of officers and Portfolio Holders to satisfy
themselves that plans and budget bids have been developed based upon regular
and proper consultation with strategic partners and stakeholders.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL,
CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
The purpose of the annual planning cycle is to ensure that Members can
make more informed judgements and recommendations pertaining to the Council’s
budget and bidding process. This is
done by ensuring adequate information is available in a standard format that
focuses Members’ attention to the issues that are of strategic importance to
facilitate clear and concise decision-making.
APPENDICES
ATTACHED
None.
The Isle of Wight Council’s Annual Corporate Planning cycle.
Contact Point :Alistair R Drain ' : 823801 e-mail address: [email protected].
ALISTAIR DRAIN
Head of Select Committee and Best Value
Support