Issue - meetings

Report of Cabinet

Meeting: 22/02/2016 - Council (Item 58)

58 Reports of Cabinet pdf icon PDF 54 KB

To receive the reports of the Cabinet dated 6 January and 3 February 2016.

Additional documents:

Decision:

The report of the Cabinet dated 6 January 2016 was noted.

 

The recommendations arising from the meeting of 3 February 2016 were agreed, subject to the amendment in recommendation (a) of Item 3 (Medium Term Financial Plan and The Annual Budget 2016/17) that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.

Minutes:

Cllr Ms Bellows disclosed a pecuniary interest in item 4 of the report of the Cabinet dated 3 February, on the grounds that she was a Council tenant.  There was no discussion on this item. She did not vote.

 

The Leader of the Council, as Chairman of the Cabinet, presented the reports of the meetings held on 6 January and 3 February 2016.

 

3 February 2016, Item 3 – The Medium Term Financial Plan and Annual Budget 2016/17

 

The Chairman moved that Standing Order 47.6 be suspended to allow the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition to exceed the time limit for making their speeches. The motion was seconded and carried.

 

The Chairman ruled that in accordance with Standing Order 47.11 she would allow more than one amendment to be proposed and discussed at the same time.

 

The Leader of the Council made the statement on the Administration’s proposed budget, attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes. He moved an amendment to recommendation (a) that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.

 

The Deputy Leader of the Council seconded the recommendation with the amendment.

 

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group then made a statement, attached as Appendix 2 to these minutes.

 

Members discussed the Cabinet’s budget proposals together with the Liberal Democrat Leader’s speech.

 

Some members expressed the view that the Liberal Democrat Leader had been contradictory in his comment regarding the need to reduce the number of District Councillors given that the Liberal Democrat Party had promoted an increase in the number of County Councillors in Eastleigh. However, other members agreed that there was merit in reconsidering the reduction of members on the District Council, as well as investigating the benefits of a committee system. 

 

The Deputy Leader of the Council addressed the comment made by the Liberal Democrat Leader regarding the negative responses when Executive decisions were called in. He stated that all members of the Council, including the Opposition, had plenty of opportunity to raise concerns before decisions were made, therefore avoiding the need to call in decisions for review in the first place.

 

A recorded vote was taken on the Administration’s proposed budget, with amendment.  The outcome was:

 

Members voting for:                53

Members voting against:         2

Abstentions                             0

 

Details are shown in Appendix 3 to these minutes.

 

The motion was carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the reports of the Cabinet dated 6 January and 3 February 2016 be received and the recommendations adopted, subject to recommendation (a) of Item 3 of the Cabinet report dated 3 February 2016 (Medium Term Financial Plan and The Annual Budget 2016/17) being amended to reflect that the General Fund Net Budget Requirement will now be £17,191,771.