PAPER B

 

ADULT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE – 16th SEPTEMBER 2004

 

BUDGET MONITORING REPORT AS AT END OF JULY 2004

 

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR ADULT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

 

SUMMARY/PURPOSE

 

This report sets out the budget and spending position on revenue for the services within this Committee remit, as at the end of July.  The figures at Appendix 1 do not include budgets that are controlled elsewhere.  These are monitored by the Committee, which bears responsibility for the item concerned.  (For example, Resources Select Committee monitors the building maintenance budget centrally, and building maintenance costs are not therefore shown against individual services below). For information a Building Maintenance monitor has been included at Appendix 1A. 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

To debate and make recommendations.

 

 

 

REVENUE EXPENDITURE (2004/5)

 

The net expenditure statement up to 31st July 2004 for the Social Services and Housing budgets is set out in Appendix 1.

 

As part of the 2004/5 budget settlement the Directorate has to achieve an efficiency savings target of £349,000.  This has been identified along with the on-going effect of the shortfall in the Promoting Independence Grant of £148,000.

 

The Directorate is working towards a balanced budget for the year.  At this stage in the year the Directorate is not projecting any significant variance to the budget.

 

This budget monitoring report now includes the ‘Safer Communities’ service area. The Culture and Leisure Division will be moving into the Directorate in September 2004. The Culture element (previously Community Development) of the Division will be shown as a separate area of activity in the report for the October Committee meeting.  At this time it is also intended to include information on the income budgets as a separate item to the main revenue monitoring report as this will be a significant item for monitor and scrutiny.

 

Budget reporting for services to children will continue to be shown in this report until the actual transfer of the service takes place in September 2004.  At that time the relevant Childrens Committee will receive those reports.

 

The Committee should be aware that we have early indication of a potential pressure around the Preserved Rights funding which could nationally be moving from a caseload basis to a FSS formula basis.  Due to the number of Preserved Rights clients our funding is higher under a caseload basis than our share under the formula system. The pressure at this stage is only an estimate and subject to the actual formula adopted but it could be as much as approximately £1m in 2005/6.  In addition the governments funding formula for 2005/6 will not be based on the 2001 census data which would have yielded Social Services approximately £1.6m extra funding.  The net effect of these two factors is a pressure in 2005/6 of £2.6m.


CAPITAL EXPENDITURE (2004/5)

 

The capital expenditure is set out in Appendix 2. We will be reporting on this area at each Committee.  Most of the allocation is for social housing.  In most years, the Housing Capital Programme is approved early in the year, when the funding/programme is committed.  Building works proceed during the year, with the delivery/spend occurring largely in the last quarter of the year. 

 

FREE NURSING CARE POOLED BUDGET

 

The monitoring report will be finalised after the end of September and will be brought to this committee when available.

 

 

Contact Point: Kerry Hubbleday ( 520600 ext.2213

 

 

 

 

 

 

COUNCILLOR GORDON KENDALL

Portfolio Holder For Adult and Community Services