Agenda item

Departmental and Service Committee Budget Estimates 2022/23

Joint report of the Executive Director for Environment and the Chamberlain.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a joint report of the Executive Director for Environment and the Chamberlain on the Departmental and Service Committee Budget Estimates for 2022/23.

 

Following a suggestion from the Deputy Chairman the Committee agreed that the damaged to Epping Forest caused by the related effects of the COVID19 Pandemic needed to be formally recognised and added to the Department’s Risk Register accordingly. The Deputy Chairman added that it was his view that the management of the Forest was currently underfunded and was not compliant with national guidelines on expenditure. Further to this it was agreed that the Chamberlain arrange a deep dive session on the budget with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the open spaces committees to discuss their concerns in further detail.

 

A member of the Committee noted that the City Surveyor needed to take a more long-term approach when considering the maintenance of property assets and highlighted that without expenditure in the short term there would be more serious maintenance issues in the future. A Member commented that the City of London Corporation did not have a good reputation locally for maintaining its assets.

 

Responding to a query from a member of the Committee the Chamberlain explained that the decision on whether the increased spending caused by inflation would be met from local or central risk would be decided by the Resource Allocation Sub-Committee.

 

RESOLVED- That: -

             I.The Epping Forest proposed revenue budget for 2022/23 be approved for submission to Finance Committee; and

            II.That the Commons proposed revenue budgets for 2022/23 be approved for submission to Finance Committee; and

          III.That the Epping Forest capital and supplementary revenue project budgets for 2022/23 be approved for submission to Finance Committee; and

          IV.The Commons capital and supplementary revenue project budgets for 2022/23 be approved for submission to Finance Committee.

 

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