Cabinet considered a report on the proposed budget guidelines, timetable and method of public engagement to be used in preparing the detailed 2020/21 budget and provisional budgets for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

Members further considered an update on the latest budget position for the Council and Heywood Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group.

Alternatives Considered

None.  The Council is legally obliged to set a balanced budget. The budget setting process is complex and must be undertaken in a planned way. It is equally important that assumptions used in the preparation of the budget are agreed, reasonable and consistently applied by all services

It was AGREED

1.    That the proposed budget timetable detailed at Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

2.    That the revenue assumptions detailed in section 4.2 of the report to be incorporated into the budget setting process.

3.    That the revenue and capital budget principles referred to in section 4.5 of the report be approved;

4.    That the proposed methods of public engagement outlined in section 4.6 of the report as part of the 2020/21 budget setting process be approved;

5.    That the updated Revenue Budget position for 2020/21 to 2022/23 be noted.

6.    That the Budget Review Sessions to be undertaken as part of the 2020/21 budget setting process be noted.

Reason for Recommendation

Under the Budget & Policy Framework Cabinet is required to approve the proposed guidelines, timetable and methods of public engagement for setting the 2020/21 Budget and Provisional Budgets for 2021/22 and 2022/23 by September each year.