Telford & Wrekin Council scrutiny committee backs budget strategy as second meeting is called off

Cross-party members of the council's business and finance scrutiny committee convened on Thursday (January 15) for the first of two scheduled meetings in the run up to the setting of the borough's council tax.

They were called for the committee to consult on the draft budget and consider any alternative proposals developed by opposition groups. No other budget proposals were made.

Councillor Zona Hannington (Labour, Lawley) the cabinet member for finance, governance and customer services, told the meeting that the budget represents what the council stands for.

“It represents far more than a set of numbers,” she said.

“It is what we stand for and the kind of borough we are trying to build.”

Michelle Brockway, the council’s director of finance, said the Government is giving it an 8.8 per cent increase in spending power next year.

The budget is proposing a 4.99 per cent council tax increase which works out as £1.20 per week for band B properties.

Council leaders say this would remain the lowest council tax in the Midlands and among the lowest in the country.

All of the extra money raised from council tax will be going into the rising costs of adult social care and protecting children.

A package of savings of £19.1 million is also being drawn up including deleting vacant posts, some restructuring and a reduction in some working hours.

Plans are also being drawn up, as a part of the overall savings plan, to take £12 million from the rising costs of social care and for £437 million of capital investments over the next three years.

Less than half of Thursday’s hour-long meeting was taken up by councillor questions.

Councillor Rachael Tyrrell (Conservative, Priorslee) was one of two opposition councillors among five Labour members of the committee.

She said “everyone is getting worried” by increases in business rates.

The council is expecting something like a third of its income to come from that source.

Officials say they are going through the details now but there will be “transitional reliefs” in place over a three year period to help businesses.

There would be a focus on pubs and they would be able to ‘check, challenge and appeal’, the meeting was told.

Labour councillor Giles Luter (Ercall) commended council officers, the leader of the council and the Labour administration for “continuing to protect the most vulnerable across our borough”.

He praised the budget as a “job well done”.

Councillor Nathan England (Labour, The Nedge), chairing the meeting, asked how the council ensures “best value”. He was told the council is audited with no issues being raised in recent reports.

He also asked if the council has any plans to increase its strategic reserve from £21.7 million.

He was told that the council would like to do that but has to strike a “balance” between that and providing services.

Senior council official Anthea Lowe invited councillors to consider their “next steps” in the scrutiny process.

“The committee needs to decide whether or not there is anything that they still need to consider in terms of reaching a decision in relation to responding to the draft budget strategy,” she said.

The chair invited further comments but heard nothing back so he proposed that the meeting respond “in support” of the strategy.

Further details of any feedback are set to be decided after consultation between the chair and members.

Councillor Tyrrell was the only member to abstain and was asked if she had any reason for doing that, or any questions she needed answering. She declined to say.

Councillor England said: “It is quite normal for this committee to get cross-party agreement.”

The motion was passed with the one abstention.

Councillor England confirmed that the second meeting, originally planned for next week (January 20) has been cancelled.