Contact: Jon Pittam, (01962) 847544; [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 Cabinet agreed in May that budget pressures and savings options (within the limits contained in the provisional budget for 2008/09 and 2009/10), value for money benchmark activity and performance activity should be reviewed and reported to this meeting. A report was made to Cabinet on 24 September 2007, but was deferred because of the pressure of business.

1.2 Since then the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 (CSR07) has been published. This report now summarises the main features of CSR07 and makes some slight amendments to the previous provisional budget plans concerning inflation assumptions and future service savings, but without altering the overall provisional budget strategy or bottom-line projections. The relatively poor CSR07 settlement is as anticipated when the County Council set its provisional budget strategy and no further action is required at this stage to amend the provisional three-year strategy.

1.3 The following decisions were made

a) To update Cabinet with the main features of CSR07.

b) To confirm the provisional budget limits for 2008/09 and 2009/10, subject to the provisions in regard to further savings as detailed in paragraphs 6.8 and 6.14 of the report, as the basis for consultation and for the development of budget options (paragraph 6.10).

c) To agree the provisional budget limits for 2010/11 as set out in paragraph 6.11.

d) To agree the proposals for carrying out budget consultation as set out in paragraphs 7.1 and 7.2.

e) To agree the provisional locally resourced capital programme guidelines for 2008/09 to 2010/11, as set out in paragraph 8.2.

2 Reason

2.1 The development of budget options and budget consultation during the autumn will need to continue, based upon CSR07 and the likely outcome of the next three year grant settlement (to be announced in December).

3 Other options considered and rejected:

3.1 None.

4 Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive member consulted

4.1 None.

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1 None.

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1 None.

Approved by: Date:
Councillor T.K. Thornber, CBE - Chairman