Agenda item

Members were asked to consider the Worcestershire Regulatory Services Revenue Monitoring for April to September 2020.

The Head of Finance & Customer Services, Bromsgrove District Council, introduced the report and in doing so drew Members’ attention to the Recommendations as detailed on pages 25 and 26 of the main agenda report.

Members were asked to note that the revised budget 2020/2021 was based on the recommended budget funding as stated in agenda item number 4, with regards to the increase in ICT and Rent at Wyre Forest House.  

Members were further informed that the report showed a projected outturn 2020/2021 of £17k deficit.  This was an estimation to the year-end based on the following assumptions:-

·       There were two vacant posts within the service, we have assumed no recruitment to the Business & Relationship Manager for the current year to assist in reducing the projected outturn deficit.  This will need to be reviewed at the end of quarter 3.  The other vacant post was a Regulatory Apprentice which we hoped to recruit to in the near future.

• If April to Sept spend on pest control continued on the same trend for the rest of year, there would be an overspend on this service of £16k.  WRS officers would continue to monitor and analyse this spend and advise of final recharges for 2020/21 as soon as possible.  The projected outturn figure to be funded by partners was:-

                           Redditch Borough Council     £9k

                           Wychavon  District Council    £7k  

Members’ attention was drawn to the figures detailed in Appendix 1 to the report:

·       Savings due to employees working on Local Outbreak Response Team.

·       Essential calibration on noise monitoring.

·       Reduction in dogs straying and the dog warden had been taken in house.

·       Bereavement / Works in Default to be charged to relevant partners.

The Head of Regulatory Services further explained that with regard to the local Covid outbreak team, WRS had started with an estimate of £162k, for the year.  The figures quoted in the table were up to the end of October, so there were four more months to go.  Staff involved in local outbreak contact tracing work and look to follow up work would have to be included.  Therefore, this could go above £181k, back filling of a certain amount of normal WRS business activities would also have to be factored in.

The Environmental Health and Trading Standards Manager clarified that officers were not seeing a significant increase or trend in bereavement costs due to the current pandemic. 

With regard to Pest Control, the Technical Services Manager stated that there were 3 partner authorities that currently provided a subsidised pest control service.