Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

This report provides a further update on the savings proposals being proposed as part of the 2021/22 budget process and reflects any feedback from the November scrutiny committees. The savings proposals will be considered by all six scrutiny Committees for those areas within their remit, prior to going out to public consultation. 

In order to aid Members any changes since the November scrutiny reports have been highlighted.   

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) which provided a further update on the savings proposals being proposed as part of the 2021/22 budget process and reflected any feedback from the November scrutiny committees.  The Committee was asked to consider and make comments on the savings proposals identified prior to these being considered by the Executive.

The main points and themes within the report included:

• Neighbourhoods Directorate background and context;
• Neighbourhoods 2020/21 budget position;
• Current in year forecast position;
• 2021/22 onwards savings proposals;
• Workforce implications; and
• Equalities.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• Whether the projected returns from the parks investment programme were realistic within the first year;
• Subsidies to the leisure service providers during the pandemic and any progress in securing funds to cover this;
• Why the Equality Impact Relevancy Assessments had not been completed yet and when Members could expect to see them;
• Concern that funding to the Council had been reduced over a number of years and that the national government had not provided sufficient funding to the Council to fully mitigate the impact of the pandemic; and
• That the Council did not want to make cuts to services but that these were the least worst options and to thank officers for their work in identifying these.

The Head of Parks, Leisure, Youth and Events reported that it was not proposed to make any savings on indoor leisure facilities in the next financial year but that savings were proposed from 2022 onwards.  He advised that the Council had submitted a return to the national government for assistance of £1.3 million in relation to the impact of the pandemic on leisure centres, covering the period from December 2020 to March 2021.  In response to a further question, he advised that the Council was working on the assumption that there would be an in-year overspend within his service but it was expected that the application for government assistance would be successful.  He advised that the government had not yet agreed financial support for the 2021/22 financial year, if COVID-19 restrictions impacted on leisure services beyond March 2021, but that Sport England was currently in discussions with the government about this.  He reported that, if restrictions did continue into the new financial year and no further government funding was provided, the Council would need to work with its leisure operators on how that funding gap would be met and that this did present a risk in the current situation.  He highlighted that there was a report on the Parks Investment Programme later on the agenda and that he would respond to the question on parks as part of that item.

The Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) advised the Committee that the Equality Impact Relevancy Assessments, which were used to determine whether an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was required, would have been undertaken by all of the services by this point.  She informed Members that the Committee would receive an overview of the EIAs resulting from the budget proposals at its meeting on 11 February 2021.  A Member questioned the timing of this in relation to the decision-making process.  The City Solicitor advised Members that the Committee would be receiving this information at its next meeting which was prior to the final decision on the budget being made at the Budget Council meeting on 5 March 2021.

The Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) clarified the proposals relating to Compliance and Enforcement, Highways, the Animal Welfare Service and charges for replacement bins, while advising Members that these areas fell within the remit of Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee (NESC) and referring Members to the discussions that had taken place on these issues at the previous day’s NESC meeting.

Decision

To note the report, subject to Members’ comments, and to recognise that, under the financial situation the Council is placed in, officers have worked to identify the least worst options.