Decision details

The Service Director of Finance and Improvement Services provided the Cabinet with an overview of the Council’s performance, both from a financial and operational perspective, for the financial year ended 31st March 2024.

Members were informed that the Quarter 4 revenue budget position was a nil variance overall, following the drawdown of one-off earmarked reserves to fund additional in-year budget pressures, this being in line with Performance Report updates reported during the year. With specific regard to the additional in-year pressures, these were in respect of increased costs for social care services, reflecting the level of demand for services and the complexity and specialist nature of care required, along with continuing high inflation that resulted in cost pressures on home to school transport contract costs and foods costs within the Council’s Catering Service.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care commended the work of finance officers for providing a financial position in extremely challenging times.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure took the opportunity to thank officers for the positive work going on throughout the County Borough, which had been reflected in the report.

The Leader echoed the comments of the Cabinet Members and commented on the scale of the Capital Programme, which had increased compared to that of a decade ago. The Leader spoke of positive investment in infrastructure, extra-care, schools, road schemes and drainage works.

The Leader spoke of the difficulty in managing revenue budgets but praised service areas for their work. The Leader advised that the next financial year would likely be even more challenging due to the size of the budget gap and spoke of the difficult and unpopular decisions, which the Cabinet were faced with to ensure the Council delivers a balanced budget, which they are legally obliged to. The Leader concluded by commending the officers in Rhondda Cynon Taf for ensuring the Council does not have huge overspends to date and hoped that this would continue to be the case in the future.

The Cabinet RESOLVED:

1.    To note and agree the General Fund revenue outturn position of the Council as at the 31st March 2024 (Section 2 of the Executive Summary).

2.    To approve the virements listed in Sections 2a - e of the Executive Summary that exceed the £0.100M threshold as per the Council's Financial Procedure Rules.

3.    To note the capital outturn position of the Council as at the 31st March 2024 (Sections 3a – e of the Executive Summary).

4.    To note the details of the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators as at the 31st March 2024 (Section 3f of the Executive Summary); and

5.    To note the year-end position regarding progress against agreed Corporate Plan priorities (Sections 5 a – c of the Executive Summary) that includes updates in respect of the Council’s work to deliver its Climate Change ambitions.