78 Budget and Business Planning 2022/23 PDF 341 KB
(Lead Member: The Mayor, Director: Angela Taylor)
Additional documents:
Decision:
Resolved:
a)
That approval be given to the Combined Authority
proposed revenue budget for 2022/23.
b)
That approval be given to the indicative capital
programme and budget for 2021/22 – 2024/25.
c)
That progress on the 2022/23 business plan be noted
and that the proposal to review the Combined Authority’s
corporate priorities is endorsed.
d)
That in accordance with the powers contained in the
Local Government Finance Act 1988 (as amended) and by virtue of
article 9(6) of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Order and the
Transport Levying Bodies Regulations 2015 (as amended) a levy of
£103 million be determined for the year ended 31 March
2023.
e)
That the Director, Corporate and Commercial Services
be authorised to issue the levy letter in respect of the financial
year ending 31 March 2023 to the five District Councils in West
Yorkshire.
f)
That a payment of £5.09 million be made to the
five District Councils in accordance with Table 1 of the submitted
report.
g)
That authorisation be given to the Director,
Corporate and Commercial Services to arrange appropriate funding
for all expenditure in 2021/22 and 2022/23 subject to statutory
limitation, including the most appropriate application of capital
funding as set out in the submitted report.
h)
That approval be given to the continuing of the
policy, effective from 2017/18, for recovering the Combined
Authority costs of managing the capital programme against the
capital programme spend being mainly West Yorkshire plus Transport
Fund, Transforming Cities, Getting Building Fund, Brownfield
Housing, Local Transport Plan Integrated Transport and any schemes developed in year. For
2022/23 the estimated total value is £12 million.
i)
That the adoption of the CIPFA Code of Practice for
Treasury Management in Public Services be reaffirmed.
j)
That the treasury management policy as set out in
Appendix 5 of the submitted report be approved.
k) That the prudential limits for the next three years as set out in Appendix 5 of the submitted report be adopted.
Minutes:
The
Combined Authority considered a report on the proposed budget for
2022/23, including the transport levy, treasury management
statement, revised forecast outturn revenue position, and summary
business plans.
The Levelling Up white paper had been published earlier in the week
and had included some positive details regarding the simplifying of
funding awards, and reducing the number of bidding processes for
time-limited pots of money, though it was noted this did not
include the new £22 million Brownfield Land Fund which had
been announced. However, details regarding what funding would be
made available by Government for the delivery of the region’s
Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), as well as what would be
received from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, had not been included,
and the continuation of bus service funding by Government was a
serious uncertainty, with bus operators already looking at reducing
their services. Members noted that a strong bus network was key to
the levelling up agenda and that cessation of this funding would be
very detrimental in this regard, with the impact on Wakefield being
particularly highlighted. The need to work together across the
North to respond to this uncertainty was emphasised.
It was noted that a reserves policy of 5% had been set, at slightly above £10 million, and Members questioned how this compared to other Combined Authorities. Officers advised that the approach to reserves varied depending on risks faced, and that though this was higher than in previous years, it seemed appropriate, particularly given the limited opportunities to raise funds throughout the year. It was also noted that this money would not be spent without further reporting to the Combined Authority on the need for its use.
Members also raised two line items,
regarding professional services and consultancy as well as supplies
and services. It was noted that these were both catch-all items to
some degree and included expenditure on delivering economic
services programmes. An updated version of the revenue budget
appendix with these items separated into different categories would
be circulated to Members after the meeting. It was also noted that
a new finance system with improved reporting was intended to be
implemented at the end of the calendar year.
Staffing levels were discussed, with an increase of 13%
from the previous year to 657 full-time employees. It was noted
that recruitment had been difficult in places, with some vacancies
having to be carried over. Members raised the possibility of
creating posts to bring in further expertise with bidding
processes, as outside help had been needed previously. Officers
advised that this was done in cases of recurring need, and would be looked at in future if more
specialism was needed, but noted that Combined Authority officers
had strong experience with bid-writing.
Resolved:
a)
That approval be given to the Combined Authority
proposed revenue budget for 2022/23.
b)
That approval be given to the indicative capital
programme and budget for 2021/22 – 2024/25.
c) That progress on the 2022/23 business plan be noted and that the ... view the full minutes text for item 78