Decision details

Capital Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

1.1 To update on the Council’s Capital Programme 2023/24, which is now £118.361m as described in section 5.1.

1.2 To outline the Council’s proposed Capital Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29, as a basis for consultation (Section 5.2).

1.3 To outline to Members’ the risks of borrowing to finance the Capital Programme and its long term impacts on the longer term financial sustainability of the Council and Treasury Management Strategy (TMS), as discussed in section 5.3.

1.4 Some of the assumed external funding included in the programme is still subject to clarification from Government and other sources and in some cases may involve bids for funds. It is therefore recommended that all approvals are subject to confirmation of funding allocations.

Decisions:

Consideration was given to a report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate / Director of Corporate Services that provided an update in relation to the Council’s Capital Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29.

 

Resolved

 

  1. That the proposed changes to the Capital Programme 2023/24, which was now £118.361m be noted.

 

  1. That the Capital Programme for 2024/25 of £170.050m and provisional programmes for 2025/26 to 2028/29, as a basis for consultation, subject to confirmation of grant funding allocations, as detailed in Appendix 1 be approved.

 

  1. That the additional revenue cost of new capital schemes and inflation was £0.152m in 2024/25 rising to a future year full year effect of £0.845m by 2028/29 be noted.

 

  1. That a review of the phasing of the existing Capital Programme and the use of £3.3m of Capital Receipts to fund shorter life schemes had resulted in reduced revenue costs of circa £1m in 2024/25 and 2025/26, with reduced savings across future years. And that this had resulted in a net revenue cost reduction in 2024/25 (£0.854m) and 2025/26 (£0.701m), and a net revenue cost increase in 2026/27 (£0.384m) be noted

 

  1. That the next steps of the consultation process which would take place over the autumn 2023 be approved.

 

 

Reason for decision

 

Cabinet was required to recommend a balanced 2024/25 Revenue Budget to Budget Council, and provisional budgets for 2025/26 to 2026/27.

 

The Council was required to set a balanced budget for 2024/25 by 11th March 2024.  The Capital Programme was a key element of the budget setting process.

 

Alternatives considered

 

The Council was legally obliged to set a balanced budget. The budget setting process was complex and must be undertaken in a planned way. It was equally important that assumptions used in the preparation of the budget were agreed, reasonable and consistently applied by all services.

 

A number of alternative elements of the Capital Programme had been considered in the development of the programme, the one which was presented was of the most strategic/community value and was aligned with the Council’s priorities, and therefore formed the basis for consultation, on the understanding that any alternatives offered during the process would be considered.

 

 

Report author: Yvonne Dunease

Publication date: 29/11/2023

Date of decision: 28/11/2023

Decided at meeting: 28/11/2023 - Cabinet

Effective from: 07/12/2023

Accompanying Documents: