The additional report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer is attached.

The Council’s revenue budget for 2020/21 was approved at Full Council on 6 March 2020 (Minute CC/20/17). The budget contained investment for priority areas including £9.9m for Children’s Services, £23.3m for Adult Social Care and £1.352m for Homelessness. It also included £7.5m of efficiency savings, of which £4.6m were being reinvested back into the budget.

At that meeting the Council had also approved an amendment to allocate a budget of £250k in 2020/21 for a one-off Spring Challenge Fund. The purpose of the funding was to provide a sustainable approach to improving neighbourhoods. This was to be funded from the Council's revenue contribution to capital budget that was held as part of the capital financing budget and was included within the revenue budget. Now the amendment had been formally approved Executive was asked to comment on how the Challenge Fund should be implemented.

It was also noted that two further budget proposals had been referred to the Executive by Full Council. Both were budget amendments that were not put to Council but were instead referred to the Executive for consideration. These were not yet included in the Revenue Budget for 2020/21:

·         To allocate a budget of £960,000 phased equally over three years to enable the Council to make available a £10,000 per annum Green Neighbourhood Investment Fund in each of the 32 wards, encouraging our neighbourhoods to participate in carbon reduction on a community-led basis shaped by the priorities of the Manchester Climate Change Action Plan; to be funded out of the proposed £2.079m contribution to the Business Rates Reserve for 2020/21.

·         To allocate a budget of £960,000 phased equally over three years to enable the Council to deliver a programme of target hardening (including further alleygating) in areas of benefit; to be funded out of the proposed £2.079m contribution to the Business Rates Reserve for 2020/21 and to allocate a budget of £1.5m to enable the Council to deliver road safety and traffic calming schemes in areas of need; to be funded from On Street Parking Reserve.

The Executive was also asked to comment on the approach they would like to take in consideration of these two budget proposals.

The report also detailed proposed additional capital funding of £15m to support the work to reduce the carbon produced from the Council’s operational estate and £1m for greening the city both of which, if supported, would be incorporated into the Council’s Capital budget. It also included the establishment of a revenue budget increase of £1m funded by the Capital Fund. This was to fund a dedicated team to deliver the commitments within the Carbon Reduction Plan.

Finally, there was a recommendation in the Capital Update report for a revenue budget increase of £100k funded by the Housing Investment Reserve. This initial investment was to provide additional capacity to allow work to establish the viability of a Manchester bespoke scheme, identify indicative land and any title or grant issues, and develop a report leading to full approval of a model by summer 2020.

Decisions

1.         To note that the £250k amendment for the Spring Challenge Fund has been approved by Full Council and agrees that where suitable proposals are put forward form residents and/or community groups, these are reported by Ward Members to the relevant Executive Member who will the consult with the Executive Member for Finance and Human Resources to determine approval of any funding.

2.         To agree that in respect of the above, final approval of any funding requests from residents and organisations in the Moston Ward (the ward of the Executive Member for Finance and Human Resources) be in consultation with the Leader of the Council rather than the Executive Member.

3.         To defer consideration of the amendment from Councillor Stanton for a Green Neighbourhood Investment Fund, until all local ward plans have been accumulated which would identify areas of spend to tackle carbon reduction, which was likely to be September 2020.

4.         To defer consideration of the amendment from Councillor Kilpatrick’s for a programme of target hardening (including further alleygating) until there is greater certainty of the Council’s future budget position.

5.         To note the revenue budget position for 2020/21 as amended to include the additional budget changes summarised in section 2 of the report and that these changes are subject to Full Council approval on 25 March 2020.

6.         To note that Council referred two further budget amendments to the Executive for consideration.