53 Quarter 2009/10 Integrated Finance & Performance Report PDF 231 KB
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At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor G. Denaro, Portfolio Holder for Resources advised that there was a significant overspend to the end of September together with a projected deficit to the end of the financial year. The main reasons for this were:
The Head of Financial Services advised that a number of actions had been put in place to bring this back in line by the end of the year, including:
Members shared their concerns that a reduction in training was not a good idea as it played an essential part in the Council’s continued improvement. The Head of Financial Services assured Members that funds would be available for areas of essential spend to ensure services were delivered to the customer.
The Board was informed that the main areas of deficit were Planning and E-Government and that other areas were having to make savings to compensate for this. The significant increase in printing charges was discussed in detail and the Head of Financial Services advised that the supplier was being contacted with a view to reviewing this.
During the discussion it was noted that the Dolphin Centre fitness suite membership had exceed 750. Members discussed how this figure could be maintained and whether or not it was due to customers choosing it as a cheaper option to other gyms following the economic downturn and whether this figure could be sustained in future. The use of a loyalty card system was discussed as a way of tracking and targeting users.
Members raised concerns over the use of agency staff and the Head of Financial Services advised that this matter had been addressed. Members also shared their concern that the overspend had been taken into account in next year’s budget forecast and the Head of Financial Services confirmed that the appropriate action had been taken to address this. Concerns were also raised as to why the overspend had not been detected earlier and the Head of Financial Services explained that in future the ... view the full minutes text for item 53