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On 11 February 2025 Cabinet:-
(i) Agreed and recommended to the
City Council for approval at its Council Tax-setting meeting:
(a) The
2025/26 draft General Fund net Revenue Budget of £1,042.606m (Section 8 and
Appendix 2 to the report);
(b) The
2025/26 and 2026/27 programme of proposed savings (Section 11 and Appendix 1 to
the report);
(c) The
2025/26 Reserves & Balances Policy (Section 14 and Appendix 4 to the
report);
(d) The
2025/26 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) funding allocation for Schools (Section
17 and Appendix 7 to the report);
(e) The 2025/26 to 2028/29 Capital Programme
and Capital Strategy (Section 18, Appendix 8 to the report);
(f) The
2025/26 Treasury Management Policies and Strategy (Section 19, Appendix 9 to
the report);
(g) The
Corporate Equality Impact Assessment (Appendix 12 and 13 to the report), as
well as the Equality Impact Assessments for individual savings proposals at
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/EqualityImpactAssessments; and
(h) The draft
Council Tax requirement (Appendix 3 to the report).
(ii) Agreed to:
(a)
Noted that the
Budget Proposals in this report included the removal of specific savings from
2024/25 totalling £13.6m (including planned savings in that programme for
2025/26 and future years) (Section 11 to the report);
(b)
Delegated
authority to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member
for Finance, to use the Contingency Budget for those matters which may
require an urgent response, subject to compliance with procurement rules. Any
delegated decision will be reported through the normal procedures as set out
in the Constitution and subsequent reporting via budget management reports to
Cabinet;
(c)
Received at
least monthly monitoring on the proposed savings and the overall budgetary
performance of the Council;
(d)
Directed the
Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) to progress the savings, which are set out in
Appendix 1, following agreement of the City Council;
(e)
Noted that the
2025/26 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget, and the Business Plan, as
approved by Cabinet on 21 January 2025, will be shared with City Council, for
information, on 25 February 2025;
(f)
To apply the
Council’s Exceptional Financial Support of £1.255bn to enable the City
Council to set a balanced budget for 2025/26. In particular, to include a
7.49% increase in Birmingham City Council’s Council Tax element;
(g)
Approved the
schedule of fees and charges, approving those with the delegations to
Cabinet, and recommended all other fees and charges to the City Council
meeting on 25 February 2025 (Appendix 11 to the report);
(h)
Approved
carrying over any unspent budget allocation from 2024/25 from the Flexible
Use of Capital Receipts Policy into 2025/26 for the same projects;
(i)
Delegated
authority to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Leader and
Cabinet Member for Finance, to make any amendments or corrections to the
2025/26 Draft Budget between now and submission to City Council on 25
February 2025; and
(j)
Noted the
Response to Budget Scrutiny Task & Finish Group, specifically the
responses outlined at Appendix 16, and agreed to take into account the
recommendations in consideration of the draft 2025/26 budget.
THE DEADLINE FOR CALL IN IS 1600
HOURS ON MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2025.
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