Agenda item

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which sought approval of the Revenue Budget proposals for 2020/21 to 2022/23.

The Mayor stated that hard work, expertise and £7 million of unexpected one-off funding from Central Government for Social Care, had contributed towards addressing the budget gap for 2020/21.  Despite the improved financial position in the short term, the proposals indicated that the journey ahead was still a challenging one with ambitious savings that needed to be achieved to meet an overall budget gap of £17.7 million over a three year period.

The Mayor highlighted the enormity of the challenge that the Council has had to face over the past 10 years.  Since 2010, Government funding to Doncaster Council had been cut by 51% or £119 million per year, and that 64% of Council spending for 2020/21, was on Adult & Children’s Services.  Last year, ‘Centre for Cities’ classed Doncaster as the third hardest hit Council in the country from Austerity.  The Mayor pointed out that the 1% increase in Council Tax would bring in £1.1 million in Doncaster, which was considerably less than 1% would be in more affluent areas, and that that local taxpayers should not have ‘to foot the bill’ for the lack of Central Government Funding.

The Mayor emphasised that the Council would protect jobs and frontline services where it could, it would help the vulnerable and wherever possible, continue with the services that mattered most to its residents.  The Council’s recent community engagement exercise, through Doncaster Talks, identified that being a cleaner and greener Borough was a key priority for the people of Doncaster.  Therefore, as part of the budget for 2020/21, the Mayor had allocated further financial resources to cleansing, grounds maintenance and enforcement services, which would include investment in equipment, additional resources and improved methods of operation within services.

It was reported that the budget included an increase in Council Tax of 1.99% in 2020/21, and a further 2% increase through the Government’s Social Care Precept.  The overall increase equated to an additional 69p per week for Band A and £1.04 per week for Band D.  Doncaster would therefore continue to have one of the lowest Council Taxes in Local Authorities of its size in the country.  The Council was 11th lowest in 2019/20 and for 2020/21, and it would continue to be the lowest in South Yorkshire.

The Mayor stressed that the focus on finance was never ending and further work was still needed to meet the increasing budget gap for 2022/23.  This would require delivering on-going savings to bridge the gap between funding available and rising costs, as the use of one-off reserves was not a sustainable solution.

The Mayor pointed out that “Austerity is supposed to be over” and had put this statement to the Prime Minister and for the new Chancellor to prove it.  She asked that Local Government be given the financial resources to deliver the level of services that people needed and deserved, not just one-off allocations of money which made long term planning impossible.

The Mayor concluded by stating that when the Council responded to the Government’s Fair Funding Review, it shared the views of the LGA, SIGOMA and many others, in pointing out that unless there was an adequate level of funding available for the services that Local Authorities provided, then the Fair Funding Review and by extension, Local Authorities, would be doomed to failure.

Following the presentation of the Revenue Budget for 2020/21 to 2022/23 proposals, Members were afforded the opportunity to comment on the report.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 21.4, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations contained within the report, which was declared as follows:-

For - 42

The Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, the Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones, and Councillors Duncan Anderson, Lani-Mae Ball, Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Rachael Blake, Phil Cole, Mick Cooper, George Derx, Susan Durant, Nuala Fennelly, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, John Gilliver, Pat Haith, John Healy, Rachel Hodson, Charlie Hogarth, Mark Houlbrook, David Hughes, Ken Keegan, Jane Kidd, Majid Khan, Tosh McDonald, Chris McGuinness, Sue McGuinness, Bill Mordue, John Mounsey, David Nevett, Jane Nightingale, Ian Pearson, Tina Reid, Andrea Robinson, Kevin Rodgers, Dave Shaw, Derek Smith, Frank Tyas, Austen White and Sue Wilkinson.

Against - 7

Councillors Nick Allen, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, Nigel Cannings, Martin Greenhalgh, R Allan Jones and Jonathan Wood.

Abstain - 0

On being put to the meeting, the recommendations contained within the report were declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED that the Revenue Budget proposals for 2020/21 to 2022/23, as detailed within the report, be approved including:-

(1)      the Revenue Budget proposals for 2020/21, as detailed in Appendices B and C (pressures £14.0 million) and Appendices D and E (savings £7.0 million) of the report;

(2)      Council Tax increasing by 3.99% to £1,405.35 for a Band D property (£936.90 for a Band A) for 2020/21.  This includes:-

(i)      1.99% Council Tax increase equating to an increase of £26.89 for Band D per annum, 52p per week (£17.93 for Band A per annum, 34p per week); and

(ii)     2.00% Government’s Social Care Precept equating to an increase of £27.03 for Band D per annum, 52p per week (£18.02 for Band A per annum, 35p per week).

(3)      the 2020/21 Grants to Third Sector Organisations, as detailed within paragraph 37 and Appendix G of the report;

(4)      the fees and charges proposed for 2020/21, as detailed within Appendix H of the report;

(5)      the Medium Term Financial Strategy including all proposals in the report, as detailed within Appendix A of the report;

(6)      a gross Revenue Expenditure Budget of £490.1 million and a net Revenue Expenditure Budget of £223.9 million, as detailed within Appendix A of the report; and

(7)      the Chief Financial Officer’s positive assurance statements be noted, as detailed within paragraphs 45 and 50 of the report.