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On 27 February 2024, Cabinet:-
(i) Agreed and recommended to the City Council for approval at its Council Tax-setting meeting:-
(a) The 2024/25 draft General Fund net Revenue Budget of £1,150.870m (Sections 6, 7 and Appendix 2A refer);
(b) The 2024/25 and 2025/26 programme of proposed savings (Section 9 and Appendix 1 refer) and noted that individual savings may be subject to public consultation before they can be implemented;
(c) To apply additional premiums for empty homes, coming into effect on 1 April 2024, and for second homes on 1 April 2025 (Section 10, paragraphs 10.5 to 10.8 refer);
(d) The 2024/25 Reserves & Balances Policy (Section 11 and Appendix 3 refer);
(e) The 2024/25 Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) funding allocation for Schools (Section 14 and Appendix 6 refer);
(f) The 2024/25 to 2027/28 Capital Programme and Capital Strategy (Section 15, Appendices 7 and 8 refer); 8
(g) The 2024/25 Treasury Management Policies and Strategy (Section 15, Appendices 7 and 8 refer);
(h) To act in its capacity of accountable body to the Enterprise Zone (EZ) Programme, to approve the retention to Birmingham City Council General Fund of £3m of Business Rates receipts arising from the ringfenced EZ Collection Fund plus 50% of any sum in excess of £6m EZ Programme annual net surplus, as approved by the EZ Partnership Board (Section 17 refers);
(i) The Corporate Equality Impact Assessment (Appendix 10 refers), as well as the Equality Impact Assessments for individual savings proposals at https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/EqualityImpactAssessments; and
(j) The draft Council Tax requirement (Appendix 2B refers).
(ii) Agreed:
(a) To note that the Budget Proposals in the report included the write off of the entire 2023/24 savings programme (including planned savings in that programme for 2024/25 and future years) (Section 9 refers);
(b) To delegate authority to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, to use the Contingency Budget for those matters which may require an urgent response, subject to compliance with procurement rules. Any delegated decision would be reported through the normal procedures as set out in the Constitution and subsequent reporting via budget management reports to Cabinet;
(c) To receive regular monitoring on the proposed savings and the overall budgetary performance of the Council;
(d) To direct the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) to progress the savings as set out in Appendix 1, following agreement of the City Council;
(e) To note that the 2024/25 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget, and the Business Plan, as approved by Cabinet on 16 January 2024, would be shared with City Council, for information, on 5 March 2024;
(f) To apply the Council’s Exceptional Financial Support request of £1.255bn to enable the City Council to set a balanced budget for 2024/25. In particular, to include a 9.99% increase in Birmingham City Council’s Council Tax element;
(g) To approve 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 5 March 2024 (Appendix 9 refers);
(h) To approve the incurring of expenditure funded by accepting external capital resources of £6,825,450 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support the introduction of weekly food waste collection (Section 15, paragraphs 15.10 to 15.12 refer); and
(i) To delegate authority to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources, to make any amendments or corrections to the 2024/25 Draft Budget between now and submission to City Council on 5 March 2024.
THIS DECISION IS NOT SUBJECT TO CALL IN
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