Agenda item

Joint Report of the Chamberlain and Director of Community and Children’s Services

Members received a joint report of the Chamberlain and the Director of Community and Children’s Services.  In response to a query about the carry forward of an underspend, the Chamberlain agreed to give members a full, written response, setting out the rationale behind the decisions.  The response would also explain how central costs and capital charges were apportioned and clarify the separation of service charge budgets.  Members also suggested that the report, in its current format, could be confusing for non-accountants and asked for more clarity in future versions.  The Chamberlain also offered members a pre-meeting before the accounts were presented to the Committee.  This suggestion was welcomed but members asked for sight of the papers before the briefing session.  Finally, in response to a query about deficits on service charge accounts, Members noted that this was caused by voids, which can vary year by year, but there had only been two this year.