Contact: Sheila Little, 01962 847545, [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

Approve for submission to Cabinet:

i) The revised budget of £642.785m for 2003/04 (as set out in Appendices 1 and 2)

ii) The base budget of £651.1m (including inflation) for 2004/05 (as set out in Appendix 3)

iii) Proposals for growth of £13.3m (as set out in Appendix 4)

iv) Proposals for redeployment of resources, efficiency savings and cost pressures of £219,000 (as set out in Appendix 5)

v) The annual review of income and charges (as set out in Appendix 6)

vi) The detailed budget prepared within the guidelines set by Cabinet (as set out in Appendix 7)

vii) The summarised trading accounts of business units (as set out in Appendix 8)

viii) To be aware that the Secretary of State for Education was notified by 31 December 2003 of the County Council's intention to passport fully the increase in the Schools Budget for 2004/05, but not to `over passport' the increase by an extra burden on the council tax payer (having had to do so in 2003/04 to replace lost Government funding)

ix) That the Executive Member for Education has consulted the Schools Forum and the Secretary of State for Education to use whatever flexibility is available within the headroom remaining above the minimum per pupil guarantee in the passported Schools Budget and the constraints on central spending; to meet the additional costs of special education needs and excluded pupils; and to maximise the full use of the targeted transitional grant for schools.

x) That a further application for an increase in the central spending limit will be submitted taking account of the points raised on the initial application. To help address these points, the Executive Member for Education will continue to reduce the 2003/04 overspend to limit the amount of the central spending pressures in 2004/05.

xi) That Cabinet consider what other budget measures are available to limit the size of the further application for an increase to the central spending limit.

2 Reasons

2.1 Cabinet has requested that:

· Service budgets be prepared in consultation with Executive Members within budget guidelines for consideration by Policy Review Committees, and approved by the Executive Member

· Executive Members identify efficiency savings to offset cost pressures not allowed for in the base budget.

· Executive Members report back on their annual review of charges and maximisation of income.

2.2 Decisions on the revenue budget will continue to support the strategy of the past two years of making the best use of constrained resources to work towards the County Council's top priorities of improving educational attainment and social development particularly for vulnerable children and those at most risk of social exclusion.

3 Other options considered and rejected - not applicable

4 Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive member consulted - not applicable

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - not applicable

Approved by: (signature) Date: (date of decision)

Councillor D G Allen