Decision details

(Time: 3.32pm to 3.47pm)

The Executive received and considered an agenda report setting out requests for virements and permanent budget adjustments.  Some of these had been approved by the Head of Service or the Strategic Director under delegated authority and others required the Executive’s approval.  Members asked that the format of the report be amended for future meetings to separate these into two lists. 

In answer to a question from one Member it was reported that all virements were movements of funds within service areas to allow staff flexibility in managing their budgets.  Members questioned whether funds that were no longer needed in one cost code could be offered as savings rather than being allocated to another cost code for possible expenditure during the remainder of the financial year.  It was commented that with the Council’s current financial restrictions, officers should carefully consider whether a saving could be made in each case.  The Executive asked that, in future, Heads of Service be asked to discuss all virement and permanent budget adjustment requests with their Executive Portfolio Holder before the requests were submitted for the Executive’s or the Strategic Director’s approval.  It was suggested that virements should become a standard item on the agendas for meetings between the Heads of Service and their Portfolio Holder. 

One request related to a virement of £25,000 from Contingency to produce leisure savings in 2010/11 onwards.  Members asked for more detail on this item. 

Another virements related to £5,000 being vired from the Communications cost centre to the Consultation cost centre.  Members asked whether this could be offered as a saving instead, albeit that this was one of the virements which had been approved under delegated authority.  The Strategic Director agreed to investigate whether a saving was possible. 

RESOLVED

(a)       that the request for a virement of £25,000 from Contingency to produce leisure savings in 2010/11 onwards be approved, with the Strategic Director providing further information to Members outside of the meeting;

(b)       that the Strategic Director be requested to investigate whether a saving could be offered instead of a virement of £5,000 from the Communications to the Consultation cost centre; 

(c)        that with the exception of the virements detailed in (a) and (b) above, the remainder of the requests for virements and permanent budget adjustments set out in the agenda report be approved;

 (d)      that the format of the virement report be changed to separate the items delegated to the Heads of Service and Strategic Director from those items requiring Executive approval; and

(e)       that the Heads of Service discuss with their Executive Portfolio Holders all requests for virements and permanent budget adjustments before being submitted for approval.