Agenda item

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

The Head of Finance presented the Q4 Financial Monitoring report for 2024/25 and took the Group through the key aspects of the report.

The Head of Finance said that the revenue budget had an overall revenue efficiency position of £2.4m as set out in Tables 1 and 2 and Appendix A, with some of the larger variances arising from planning income and appeals, housing support cost increases and favourable variances from income on investments and contractual savings. The Council had also experienced some variances in grant income and business rates. She said that the variances had been appropriated to reserves or future commitments or carried forward as identified at Appendix E.

The Head of Finance referred to movements in revenue reserves with most significant activity relating to the creation of a recycling reserve, land for carbon offsetting, West Bridgford Town Centre regeneration, Disabled Facilities Grant and Local Government Reorganisation.

In relation to Capital, the Head of Finance noted the overall underspend position of £5.109m of which the majority had been carried forward for future projects already committed.

In relation to Special Expenses, the Head of Finance said that there had been an overspend of circa £50k largely due to a loss of income

In relation to the Statement of Accounts, the Head of Finance said that they had been published on 11 June 2025

The Communications and Customer Services Manager presented the Performance Monitoring Scorecards and summarised that the Council had experienced high levels of demand but that performance was generally stable.

The Communications and Customer Services Manager said that there were eight indicators which hadn’t reached target, including the percentage of household waste recycling and it was hoped that recycling measures being introduced by the Council, such as glass kerbside collections later in the year, and food waste collection in 2026, would help with this.

In relation to recycling contamination, the Communications and Customer Services Manager said that work to improve this was continuing with communications campaigns about recycling.

The Communications and Customer Services Manager said that whilst the target for usage of community facilities had not been met, progress was being made and the Council had recruited a new Facilities Manager and Facilities Supervisor and was installing a new meeting room AV system and making improvements at Sir Julian Cahn, all of which it was hoped would help increase external bookings. The Council was also promoting its facilities through social media to increase its audience. He added that there was high usage of playing fields and parks.

The Communications and Customer Services Manager referred to Rushcliffe Oaks Crematorium and explained that there had been lower death rates over the year but that the Council was reaching out and listening to the requirements of the wider community and stakeholders to try to meet the local need. He said that the Crematorium had been shortlisted for an APSE Innovation Awards for sustainable memorialisation and had experienced a 36% increase in growth compared to the previous year.

In relation to Councillor e-learning, the Communications and Customer Services Manager said that this had improved over the past year and that introduction of the single sign on had made it easier for Councillors to access the training. E-learning would be reviewed in more depth at the next Member Development Group meeting scheduled for July 2025.

The Chair asked whether the recent dry weather had had any impact, such as from having to water pitches more often. The Communications and Customer Services Manager said that installation of 4G pitches had been to help mitigate against variances in the weather and he would feedback if there were any impacts that had been identified.

Councillor Gaunt said that he had attended a service at the Crematorium recently and commended the excellent facility and staff.

Councillor Gaunt asked about stalled s106 sites and the Head of Finance said that housing providers often had access to other grant funding which they would use before applying to the Council but that the Council was continuing to look at options.

The Chair asked about employers National Insurance and the Head of Finance said that the Council’s grant funding had been confirmed and that it would be just under half of the anticipated costs.

The Chair referred to bookings for community buildings and community pitches and the Communications and Customer Services Manager confirmed that they could be booked separately and that the bookings would be counted separately.

It was RESOLVED that the Corporate Overview Group scrutinised:

a)            the 2024/25 revenue position and efficiencies identified in Table 1, the variances in Table 2 (and Appendix A)

b)            the changes to the earmarked reserves as set out at Appendix B along with the carry forwards and appropriations to reserves in Appendix E

c)             the capital carry forwards outlined in Appendix C and summarised in Appendix F

d)            the update on the Special Expenses outturn at paragraph 4.17 and in Appendix D, and

e)            performance exceptions (detailed in paragraphs 4.22 to 4.27) to judge whether further scrutiny is required.