Policy and Strategy Committee

Tuesday 13 February 2001 at 3.00 pm

Present:  Provost Roach, Councillors Blair, Jackson, McCabe, McGhee, Mitchell, O'Rourke, Rebecchi and Robertson (A).

Chair:  Councillor Jackson presided.

In attendance:  Chief Executive, Depute Chief Executive, Director of Community & Protective Services, Director of Education Services, Director of Information Services, Director of Legal & Support Services, Director of Social Work & Housing Services, Head of Accountancy Services, Head of Property Services, Head of Transportation & Roads Service and Managing Solicitor (Committees/Contracts).

Apologies:  Councillors Morrison (M) and Robertson (Y).

138

Revenue and Capital Budgets 2001/2002 Onwards

138

There were submitted reports dated 5 February 2001 and February 2001 by the Head of Accountancy Services and the Chief Executive respectively advising that in December 2000, the Scottish Executive had announced the first ever firm 3 year revenue and capital settlements for Scottish local authorities, together with the abolition of spending guideline controls, in return for which Councils were expected to agree indicative 3 year Council Tax levels with the Executive retaining powers to reintroduce guidelines for individual local authorities if it considered Council Tax rises or expenditure levels to be excessive.  The report set out information to allow the Council to determine a Revenue Budget for 2001/2002 and an indicative Budget for 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 and to set the Council Tax for 2001/2002 and agree indicative levels for 2002/2003 and 2003/2004.

(Provost Roach entered the meeting during consideration of this item of business).

Decided:  

(1)   that strict budgetary control continue to be implemented on a corporate basis and that Committees and Services exercise strict control over their budgets;

(2)   that the Corporate Management Team proposals set out in Appendix 5 to the report by the Chief Executive be agreed, but that the rebate from Building Services to the Housing Revenue Account be reduced by £400,000;

(3)   that the further purchasing savings (£40,000) identified within Resource Services and savings in respect of the installation of water management systems (£5,000) identified within Economic Development Services as part of the 2001/2002 Savings Options booklet be agreed;

(4)   that provision of £65,000 for the methadone project be agreed;

(5)   that provision of £35,000 be added to the existing budget for school crossing patrollers and that a report on this service be submitted to the Economic Development Services Committee;

(6)   that the Council Tax for 2001/2002 be increased by 8.5%, 5.3% of this to replace balances used in the current financial year and 3.2% to meet the balance of expendi¦ture in 2001/2002;

(7)   that the Corporate Management Team submit proposals to the next meeting of the Committee in respect of the Capital Programme for the next three years and that these proposals include provision of elderly person residential accommodation and a swimming pool in Port Glasgow at the earliest possible date, provision for the waterfront development at Gourock tied in with the development timescale and provision for improvements in local roads and lighting with a view to the additional spend at a local level offsetting the loss of income resulting from the award of the Trunk Roads contract to private contractors;

(8)   that it be recommended to the Inverclyde Council that the Council Tax for 2001/2002 Band D be £1,012 and that the indicative increases for 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 be 5% in each year; and

(9)   that the proposals in respect of debt recovery detailed in Section 6 of the report by the Chief Executive be agreed.