Agenda and minutes

1.  Apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor M Parker, for whom Councillor A MacKenzie was substituting.

No declarations of interest were received.

No questions or deputations were received.

To receive the draft public Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 11^th July 2022 for consideration and approval.

The Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board:

RESOLVED:

(i)  To agree the Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 11^th July 2022 as an accurate record.

The report before Members of the Scrutiny Board was provided to inform Members of current Council income generation and trading activities, including income generated from Council assets. Furthermore, the report identified any areas where further income might potentially be able to be generated as a contribution to the Council’s overall Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

The Head of Financial Operations introduced the report and informed Members that any newly identified income generation initiatives would need to be agreed through the scrutiny process and via the Budget Strategy Group, Cabinet, and the meeting of Council in February 2023. Member’s attention was drawn to respective sections of the report which detailed the schedule of Council fees and charges and supporting policy, budget breakdown by Cabinet Portfolio area, statutory and regulatory requirements, inflation forecasting and detail showing where fees and charges have been reviewed.

Members were further informed that the scope for income generation across health and social care services was largely prescribed by legislation.  Opportunities within the Public Health Portfolio area was similarly prescriptive in terms of income generation, as the over-riding ethos remained that services were provided free at the point of delivery. Consequently, no fees or charges income was generated for Public Health during 2021/22.

With the Children’s and Education Portfolio area, Members were advised that a charge was in place for the Music Service, which generated income of just under £0.525M for 2021/22. 

The Portfolio areas for Climate Change, Planning and Housing and the Registrars Service presented limited scope for additional income generation beyond that already achieved, as fees in these areas were largely prescribed.  The Communities and Leisure Portfolio area generated £3.307M from fees and charges in 2021/22.

Environment and Infrastructure was reported to have generated £4.659M in 2021/22, largely from fees and charges arising from Parking Services (£2.659M in 2021/22). The Council’s Environment Services has the opportunity to make charges for bulky waste collection and providing new or replacement waste containers. Members were further advised that the updated Environment Bill was in the process of being ratified through Parliament, which was expected to result in changes for waste collection services. Potential changes to the charging system for waste collection will be dependent on the content of the new legislation.

The Resources Directorate was reported as generating its commercial income and raising its most significant fees and charges from the Catering Service, Property Services, Strategic Investment Properties and the Building Design Studio through providing its in-house services to external customers. Recently added to the Resources Directorate in the 2022/23 municipal year were Regulatory Services and Bereavement Services.

Other support services provided by the Council to other organisations and bodies include ICT, Human Resources/Payroll, Audit Services, schools finance and insurance services. Council clients for these services include schools, Solihull Community Housing, the Urban Growth Company and Mell Square Limited.

Members attention was drawn to paragraphs 3.79 – 3.82 of the report, which provided detail for income from Council held assets and which noted that a very small proportion of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The meeting is not open to the public during discussion of the following items because the reports contain exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

The meeting was not open to the public during discussion of the following item because the report contained exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

To consider the draft private Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 11^th July 2022 for approval.