POLICY AND STRATEGY COMMITTEE

 

THURSDAY 6 MARCH 1997 - 4.00 pm

 

Present:-  Provost Allan, Councillors Calvert, Clocherty, Morrison (M), O'Rourke, Jackson, McGhee, Robertson (Y), Mulholland, Mitchell and Finnie, Councillor Mulholland, Convener, in the Chair.

 

In Attendance:-  The Chief Executive, the Depute Chief Executive, the Assistant Chief Executive (Economic Development and Urban Regeneration), the Assistant Chief Executive (Social and Community Development), the Assistant Chief Executive (Contract Services), the Director of Central Services,  the Director of Legal Services,  the Director of Finance, the Director of Economic Development, the Director of Education Services, the Director of Property and Technical Services, the Director of Planning, the Director of Leisure and Recreation, the Director of Social Work, the Director of Housing and Customer Services, the Director of Personnel Services, Mr G Morgan (for the Director of Information Technology),  the Chief Environmental Services Officer and the Chief Consumer Protection and Trading Standards Officer.

 

306.00

STRATEGIC PLANNING INTO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM

306

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 27 February 1997 by the Chief Executive together with draft vision and mission/core values statements and draft Corporate Development and Strategic Plans together with proposals to progress these plans and supporting Divisional and Service Plans.

DECIDED:  That consideration of the report be deferred meantime.

 

307.00

THE CORPORATE APPROACH TO THE BUDGET PROCESS

307

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 26 February 1997 by the Chief Executive confirming his view that the corporate approach taken in the budget process in 1996/97 met in general terms the remit to him by the Policy and Strategy Committee at its meeting on 10 December 1996 (paragraph 1210).

NOTED

 

308.00

REVENUE BUDGET 1997/98

308

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 28 February 1997 by the Director of Finance advising that the Revenue Budget 1997/98 had been prepared using the budget for the previous year as a starting point and summarising the various factors affecting the budget for 1997/98.

The report advised that any increase in the budget between 1996/97 and 1997/98 in excess of 0.5% would be considered excessive if the resultant budget was above the Council's grant aided expenditure assessment for 1997/98.  It was noted that the departmental budgets showed an excess of £4,063,320 above the guideline budgets and, therefore, equivalent savings required to be identified to avoid capping.

308.00

DECIDED:  On the motion of Councillor Mulholland seconded by Councillor Jackson:-

308

(a)  That the Council's Revenue Budget 1997/98 be set at £105,240,320 with savings totalling £4,063,320 comprising:-

 

Departmental Savings                                 £2,190,000

Increased Contract Services profits               £500,000

Savings arising from Trawls                           £500,000

Non-filling of vacancies                                 £873,000

                                                                  £4,063,000

(b)  That the funding of one-off costs of voluntary severance be met from the 1996/97 Revenue Budget;

(c)  That the level of "Band D" Council Tax be set at (i) £808.00 to meet 1997/98 net expenditure (an increase of 6%) and (ii) £23.00 to meet the projected balance at the end of 1996/97 (an increase of 3.1%);

(d)  That all Members, with the exception of the Provost, take a voluntary 5% cut in allowances and also forego any recommended national increase in allowances;

(e)  That committees and departments again exercise strict control over their budgets and that, if agreed savings cannot be found, other savings must be achieved, those other savings being subject to the approval of the appropriate spending committee; and

(f)  That these on-going tight budget controls are progressed on a corporate and divisional basis as part of the corporate and strategic plans of the Council.