Agenda item

Quarter 2 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring

Report of the Commissioner of Police. TO FOLLOW.

Minutes:

Members considered a report of the Commissioner of Police regarding Revenue Budget Monitoring to September 2018 and the following points were made.

 

·         The Deputy Chamberlain noted that the emerging overspend on payroll had not been clear from the actuals recorded in previous financial forecasts. Work was required to understand how the resulting overspend would affect the Medium Term Financial Plan.

 

·         The double-counting of £4.5m of funding from the National & International Capital City grant had given rise the risk that spending commitments had been made on the basis of incorrect assumptions of income. Overall, there was a significant structural deficit in the budget.

 

·         A Member welcomed the report and requested future iterations include more tabular information. He felt that the point regarding reserves within the report was well made. Overall, he observed that the situation described had significant implications for the Police Five Year Plan.

 

·         In response to a comment from a Member, the Deputy Chamberlain noted that the situation outlined within the report also demonstrated that there was a gap between Revenue Budgets and the Police Workforce Plan.

 

·         The Assistant Commissioner noted that measures to address the identified overspend would be considered at officer level in late November 2018. They could include a freeze on existing spending, overtime allowances and recruitment.

 

RESOLVED, that the report be received.

Supporting documents: