Agenda item

Consideration was given to the budget proposals for the Council's Residents Services.  Members were advised that £10m of savings were proposed for Hillingdon in 2015/2016, approximately £3½m of which related to the services covered within this Committee's remit.  Included in these proposals were savings from staffing restructures in support functions and middle management, which continued the trend from previous years.  It was anticipated that £110k of savings would be achieved through reviews of the Fleet Management operation and further ICT rationalisation. 

It was noted that proposals in relation to the outcome of zero-based reviews across the group were expected to contribute £375k towards delivery of the savings target, while the budgetary impact of West London Waste Authority's closure of the Victoria Road Civic Amenity site was expected to release £406k.  Members were advised that there had been no additional costs for the provision of the service in Harefield as a result of this closure and that there had been an increase in the income received from trade waste.  However, there had been a slight increase in the cost of disposal from this site and more vehicles had travelled through Harefield as a result. 

In addition to preferential rates for residents, the Council had frozen almost all Fees and Charges for residents during 2013/14 and 2014/15, with modest increases proposed for a small number of charges in 2015/16.  Where increases were recommended, the cost recovery principle had been considered and charges had been benchmarked against those of neighbouring authorities and shown to remain competitive.

Growth of £711k for the Residents Services Group had been included in the draft budget for consultation, based on Cabinet’s known expenditure commitments.  Of this £711k:

·         £440k had been provided to support a continuation of the Ward Budget Scheme, providing a sum of £22,000 for investment in each ward;

·         an additional £62k growth to fund the Police Tasking Team was included in the budget, representing the full year effect of monies included in the 2014/15 budget and bringing this funding to £134k per annum;

·         £130k Priority Growth was included in the budget to provide increased investment in tackling Rogue Landlords and Beds in Sheds across the Borough; and

·         in order to ensure that the benefits of recent investment in the Ruislip Lido site were maximised, £24k was being earmarked to fund additional staffing in the peak season.

This draft capital programme for 2015/2016 included a number of proposed new schemes totalling £15,951k:

·         Battle of Britain Bunker, a Heritage Civic Pride project - A restoration project on the former RAF Uxbridge Site.  Plans included the replacement of a building near the Bunker known as the ASU building with potential for it to act as a visitor centre, the overall project was estimated to cost in the region of £4,850k with a target completion date of September 2015;

·         Highways Structural Works & Pavements Priority Growth - £3,000k additional investment was included in this draft budget to continue the Council's programme of activity in these areas;

·         Cedars & Grainges Car Park Improvements - An extended scope had been outlined for the previously planned investment in Uxbridge Town Centre car parks, which would support economic development in the area.  An increase of £2,155k, partially funded from £200k of Developer Contributions, was therefore included in this draft budget;

·         Borough-wide Car Park Improvements & Rural Activities Garden Centre Car Park - An additional £500k of investment in off street car parks across the Boroughs, including an enhancement of parking facilities at the Council's Rural Activities Garden Centre;

·         Ruislip Lido Boathouse - Refurbishment of the Boathouse at Ruislip Lido for service use at an estimated cost of £210k;

·         Investment in Bowls Clubs - £900k provision for the refurbishment of two existing bowls clubs and construction of a third was included in this programme and intended to support the Council's broader Public Health responsibilities by encouraging activity in the Borough's older population; and

·         Haste Hill Golf Club Investment - A set of two projects to refurbish the club house for use as a function room at a cost of £80k and a replacement of the irrigation system for £450k.  An invest-to-save business case was in development around the updated clubhouse and improved parking provision, with financing costs associated with the project to be met from future revenue streams.

Members congratulated the officers on the format of the report and on the content therein.

With regard to cemetery charges, concern was expressed that there had been a blanket 15% increase in charges for residents whereas non-residents had only received an increase of approximately 7% across the board.  Members were advised that a benchmarking exercise had been undertaken against neighbouring boroughs which highlighted that the charges were significantly less in Hillingdon.  As the cemetery charges had not been increased for a couple of years, they were re-evaluated to bring them closer in line to neighbouring councils, whilst remaining on average 10% cheaper.

It was agreed that officers would draft comments on the budget on behalf of the Committee for inclusion in the Corporate Services and Partnerships Policy Overview Committee report to Cabinet.  These comments would be agreed by the Chairman and the Labour Lead prior to inclusion.  

RESOLVED:  That:

1.    the Budget Proposals for Residents Services 2014/15 be noted; and

2.    officers draft comments on the budget for the Committee to be circulated and agreed by the Chairman and Labour Lead outside of the meeting.