Agenda and minutes

No declarations were made.

Members discussed the potential Ambulance Strike which was scheduled for the following week and the contingency plans that were being put in place.

Cllr Claire Kober (Resources Board Chair) introduced the report by summarising the LGA’s activity on the 2015/16 Local Government Finance Settlement; including briefings in the Houses of Parliament.  She outlined the headline issues within the settlement, as well as summarised the key messages within the LGA’s formal response to the Settlement consultation.  

In the discussion that followed, Members made a number of comments, including:

·        Serious concerns were expressed regarding: the implications of the proposal to potentially extend council tax referendum limits to include certain town and parish councils; the significant backlog of business rates appeal; and the impact of the universal free school meals offer on school funding. 

·        Members expressed frustration at the continued lack of clarity regarding Deprivation of Liberty and the uncertainty caused by the absence of a commitment from Government to fund this new burden.

·        With reference to the changes in revenue spending power for local authorities, there was a discussion as to the manner in which these figures could be presented so as to illustrate the overall reduction in spending.

Decision

The LGA Executive noted the report and asked that their comments inform the LGA’s lobbying on the 2015/16 Local Government Finance Settlement.

Decision

The LGA Executive noted the minutes of the previous Leadership Board meetings which had been held on 11 December 2014 and 21 January 2015.

The press and public were excluded for the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the below confidential items.

Decision

The LGA Executive agreed the minutes of the previous Executive meeting held on 11 December 2014.