Decision details
Draft Revenue Budget 2023/24 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2023/24 to 2025/26
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
To approve the Draft Budget for 2023/24 and MTFS for general consultation and note the proposal for the Council Tax increase for 2023/24.
Decisions:
RESOLVED: That
(1) the draft budget for 2023/24 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023/24 to 2025/26 for general consultation set out in Appendices 1(A & B) and 2 to the officer report be approved, so that the budget could subsequently be considered following the consultation responses and the equality impact assessment (s) before referral to Council in February 2023;
(2) the Autumn Settlement 2022 confirming broad plans for public spending for 2023/24 be noted, and that the draft budget be updated when the detail in the Indicative Financial Settlement, expected in the week commencing 19 December 2022 was announced followed by the Final Settlement no later than January 2023;
(3) at draft budget stage, an estimated budget gap of £10.923m for 2023/24, £0m for 2024/25 and £10.964m for 2025/26 remained, be noted (noting the caveat regarding the Social Care Grant in Table 1of the officer report);
(4) the proposal to increase core Council Tax by 2.99% in 2023/24 and 2024/25 and then by 1.99% in 2025/26, as set out in Table 1 and paragraph 1.17 of the officer report, be noted;
(5) the proposal to increase Adult Social Care Precept Council Tax by 2% in 2023/24 and then by 1% per annum in 2024/25 and 2025/26 in respect of the Adult Social Care Precept, as set out in Table 1 and paragraph 1.17 of the officer report, be noted;
(6) the draft Public Health budget for 2023/24, as set out in Appendix 3 to the officer report, be agreed;
(7) it be noted that no structured changes to the schools funding formula for 2023/24, as set out in Appendix 4 of the officer report, were proposed;
(8) the assumed funding for the protection of social care 2023/24 through the Better Care Fund (BCF), be noted; and
(9) the Director of Finance and Assurance, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Human Resources, be authorised to agree Harrow’s 2023/24 contribution to the London Borough’s Grant Scheme, noting that final approval would be sought from Cabinet and Council in February 2023.
Reason for Decision: To ensure that the Council published a draft budget for 2023/24 and a draft three-year MTFS to 2025/26.
Report author: Director of Finance
Publication date: 09/12/2022
Date of decision: 08/12/2022
Decided at meeting: 08/12/2022 - Cabinet
Effective from: 17/12/2022
Accompanying Documents:
- Final Draft Budget MTFS Report 8 Dec 2022 cabinet PDF 234 KB View as DOCX (1) 117 KB
- Appendix 1A - Savings and Growth 2023-24 to 2025-26 PDF 41 KB
- Appendix 1B - Savings and Growth from the 2022-23 Budget Process._ PDF 94 KB
- Appendix 2 MTFS 2023-24 to 2025-26 - Feb 2023 PDF 97 KB
- Appendix 3 - Public Health Grant 2023-24 PDF 117 KB
- Appendix 4 - School Budgets 2023-24 PDF 164 KB