Decision Maker: Cabinet
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Decision:
RESOLVED:
That
Cabinet makes the following recommendations to Council on 8
February 2022.
Cabinet recommends that Council:
-
Approves the net revenue budget requirement be set
at £1,042.0 million (net cost of services
after service specific government grants) for 2022/23 (Annex B),
subject to confirmation of the Final Local Government Financial
Settlement.
-
Subject to finalisation of the tax base, approves
the total Council Tax Funding Requirement be set at £831.0 million for 2022/23, subject to final
confirmation of District and Borough tax base. This is based on a
council tax increase of 4.99%, made up of an increase in the level
of core council tax of 1.99% to cover core Council services,
including 1% for mental health, and an increase of 3% in the
precept proposed by Central Government to cover the growing cost of
Adult Social Care (Annex E).
-
Notes that for the purpose of section 52ZB of the
Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council formally determines
that the increase in core council tax is not such as to trigger a
referendum (i.e., not greater than 2%).
-
Sets the Surrey County Council precept for Band D
Council Tax at £1,626.39, which represents a 4.99% uplift.
This is a rise of £1.48 a week from the 2021/22 precept of
£1,549.08. This includes £185.48 for the Adult Social
Care precept, which has increased by £46.47. A full list of
bands is as follows:
-
Notes that the 4.99% increase in Council Tax will be
deployed as follows:
·
0.99% increase to fund the increased cost
of delivering services
·
3.00% increase to fund additional spend
in adult and children’s social care
·
1.00% increase to fund additional
investment in mental health.
Across this investment, the 3% increase
in Adult Social Care Precept will be directed entirely to Adult
Social Care.
-
Notes that underlying General Fund Balances are
projected to remain at £28.0 million as of 1 April
2022.
-
Approves the Total Schools Budget of £575.2
million to meet the Council’s statutory requirement on
schools funding (as set out in Section 9 of the 2022/23 Final
Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2026/27).
-
Approves the overall indicative Budget Envelopes for
Executive Directorates and individual services for the 2022/23
budget (Annex B).
-
Approves the total £1,909.6 million proposed
five-year Capital Programme (comprising £1,031.2m of budget
and £878.4.9m pipeline) and approves the £212.1 million
Capital Budget in 2022/23 (Annex C).
-
Approves the Capital and Investment Strategy
(Sections 1 to 3), which provides an overview of how risks
associated with capital expenditure, financing and treasury will be
managed as well as how they contribute towards the delivery of
services.
-
Approves the policy for making a prudent level of
revenue provision for the repayment of debt (the Minimum Revenue
Provision (MRP) Policy) (Annex G).
-
Agrees the Council’s refreshed Transformation
Programme (as set out in section 3 of 2022/23 Final Budget Report
and Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2026/27)
-
Note that the investment in Transformation required
to deliver improved outcomes and financial benefits is built into
the proposed Medium-Term Financial Strategy (as set out in section
3 of 2022/23 Final Budget Report and Medium-Term Financial Strategy
to 2026/27.
-
That Cabinet approves the £15m transfer from
the Budget Equalisation Reserve to the Transformation Reserve set
out in paragraph 10.
-
That Cabinet notes that the Audit & Governance
Committee has approved the Treasury Management Strategy and
Prudential Indicators (Annex F – Section 4) which set a
framework for the Council’s treasury function to manage
risks, source borrowing and invest surplus cash on 24 January
2022.
Reason for decision:
Council will meet on 8 February 2022 to agree a
budget and to set the Council Tax Precept for 2022/23. Cabinet is
required to recommend a budget to Council for consideration at this
meeting. The budget directs available resources to support the
achievement of the Council’s ambitions and priorities in the
2030 Vision and the Refreshed Organisation Strategy.
The budget will also support the delivery
of the continuing transformational changes that are required to
ensure that the Council can improve priority outcomes for
residents, while managing growing demand for services and ensuring
future financial sustainability.
Publication date: 26/01/2022
Date of decision: 25/01/2022
Decided at meeting: 25/01/2022 - Cabinet
Effective from: 03/02/2022
Accompanying Documents: