Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Interim Section 151 Officer, (copy enclosed).

The Committee received the report of the Interim Section 151 Officer providing Members with key financial information on the progress to date against the agreed budget.  The report provided an update on the following areas and further details were set out in the related Appendices:

·                 Revenue budgets (Appendix 1);

·                 Vacancy savings (Appendix 2);

·                 Agency expenditure;

·                 Major sources of income;

·                 Capital projects (Appendix 3)

It was noted that there was concern regarding a significant shortfall in the various income streams within Development Control.  However, other income was performing as expected with some exceeding profiled budgets.  It was reported that some expenditure and income was accounted for at the end of the year and not all income for this period was included in the report due to process lags.  Members were advised that capital projects were progressing and the programme was expected to be completed within the financial year.

In response to a number of questions raised by the Committee, the following information was provided by the Interim Section 151 Officer:

·                 Agency costs were initially offset against any existing budgets where there were vacant posts and if a shortfall then these monies had to be allocated from other budgets and as a last resort, reserves.  Members’ attention was drawn to the HR statistics report received by this Committee which details vacant posts and any mitigating factors.

·                 Payments relating to Planning Performance Agreements were generally paid in relation to work done and therefore retrospective.  The Interim Section 151 Officer advised that he would carry out a review and provide Members with further information in respect of these.

·                 It was noted that the dredging works detailed in the report under the Service Delivery Directorate variances related to an area by the Hythe Quay and not the River Blackwater itself.

·                 The variances relating to land charges were due to a dip in the property market and in addition, it was noted that land charges was now a competitive field which also had an impact.

·                 Cemetery income was showing an income of 99% against the profile for this half of the year and therefore income was higher than expected.

During the discussion Councillor A S Fluker declared that he was a Maldon Harbour Improvement Commissioner.

It was noted that where variances were listed under the Resources Directorate the last bullet point should be split as the sentence relating to election management did not related to land charges.

RESOLVED that the contents of the report be noted.