Decision details

The council is facing an ongoing challenge to be able to deliver its services in the context of its reduced and reducing resource base.

The resource base of the council is a function of decisions taken at a national level in the previous Parliament.  The new government has made clear its commitment to a reduced level of public services and these have been announced in the Spring Budget and articulated further in, "A country that lives within its means: Spending Review 2015", presented to Parliament by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury.

The separate Money Matters report on the agenda, setting out the "Outlook for the County Council's Medium Term Financial Strategy", indicates that the council will need make decisions to bridge an annual budget shortfall of circa £225m by April 2020.  Of this the council will need to address a shortfall of £87.1m by 1^st April 2017.

To address these shortfalls it is proposed that the council undertake a zero base budget review to inform the council's future budget process.

The report sets out the approach to this budget review. 

Steve Browne, Corporate Director, Commissioning and Deputy Chief Executive, presented a report proposing that the council undertake a zero base budget review to inform the council's future budget process, and settings out the approach to the budget review.

It was confirmed that full member briefings would be held in October on the initial outcomes of the review, linking in to the development of the Corporate plan and to the normal budget planning cycle.

Resolved: That:

  i.  the approach and timetable for the proposed Base Budget Review set out in the report be noted.

  ii.  a procurement exercise be undertaken to put in place a Consultancy Framework to support the activities set out in the report.