Cabinet is required to publish its timetable for making proposals to Council for the following financial year’s revenue and capital budgets and estimates of future years’ revenue resources by way of a Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Cabinet is also required to set out its approach public consultation on the budget proposals.

The cabinet member finance, corporate services and planning introduced the report. She explained that it set out the overall arc of the consultation process for the 2023/24 budget. Technology would be used to support the consultation process but, in addition, face to face consultations would be re-introduced in the market towns and large villages.

The chairperson of the scrutiny management board explained that the board was exploring how to include scrutiny of the budget in its work programme. It was noted that the contribution of scrutiny was important and that if the government spending review date slipped, this would be taken into account. Cabinet members were keen that scrutiny have an input at the start of the process.

Group leaders and representatives on behalf of their groups noted the proposed timetable and hoped for a good response rate. It was highlighted that it had proved difficult in the past for scrutiny to make comments early on as not enough information had been available. The need for longer term funding settlements was also noted.

It was unanimously resolved that:

That:

a)    the proposed timetable for the development and adoption of the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the 2023/24 budgets be approved; and

b)    the proposed approach to the budget consultation is approved.