Agenda item

The Board considered and discussed their priorities and work programme for 2017/18. In the discussion which followed the following points were raised:

·         Regarding pensions, it was highlighted that best practice should be shared across the whole sector.

·         It was confirmed that the NJC for local authority pay negotiations did not report to the Resources Board, but would always be a significant item of interest to Members. An update would be provided at each meeting to ensure Members were aware of the issues.

·         Particular areas of focus for local government finance included adult social care funding, the role of councils in the apprenticeship levy, budgets for schools and education, and the New Homes Bonus.

·         It was crucial that welfare reform remained a priority for the Board, so the impact of changes and the roll out of Universal Credit were assessed.

·         Members agreed that the future of funding currently sourced from the EU was also of particular importance over the forthcoming year, and it was vital that successor arrangements were explored with the Government., including the devolution of funding from the Government to various tiers of local government.

Decision

The Resources Board agreed its priorities and work programme for the 2017/18 meeting cycle.