URL: https://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ecminutes/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=3443

Decision Maker: Environment and Communities Committee

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: This report provides the current forecast outturn for the financial year 2025/26 based on our income, expenditure and known commitments as at the end of August 2025. It also identifies actions that are being taken to address adverse variances to urgently address our financial sustainability.

Content: The Committee considered the report which provided members an update on the current forecast outturn for the financial year 2025/26. It was highlighted that there was an improvement from Financial Review 1.   The committee queried overspends in specific service areas including Environment Operations and the Strategic Leisure Review. It was noted that environmental operations pressures were linked to staffing and inflation a detailed update would be provided at the January meeting on the Strategic Leisure Review.   It was requested that clarity is provided in relation to Environmental Services and Environmental Operations. Officers confirmed that a wider briefing, including definitions, will be provided on the team structures at the January meeting.   The committee queried the capital schemes, reserves, and the impact of vacancy management.   Officers committed to providing a written response in relation to a query of a capital scheme in Wybunbury and identify specifically what the money was spent on.   The committee were updated that there is approximately £2.6 million of vacancies within the Place Directorate and that as part of the Cheshire East This changes by the week with leavers and joiners, plus also some agency strain, which is inevitable. The Councils Transformation programme  will propose structures for every service within the Directorate and that budget monitoring was ongoing and improvements were expected by year-end.   In relation to the Best Value Notice there was no significant change other than progress is being made, however there is a monitoring period which is ongoing and the committee were informed that the Council are engaged in the Governments process.   The committee queried the waste collection service and whether there would be an adverse cost in the current year and asked about the amount of redundancy payments made to affected employees and referred to the inflationary increase in income from fees and charges, specifically the decision to raise the garden waste subscription charge.   The committee were updated that the redundancy position was a small residual cost that the Council would pick up as the parent organisation, and this had been forecast. The majority of costs were dealt with by Ansa, with only a minor impact on the Council’s position.   Regarding the garden waste charge, analysis had been undertaken, including benchmarking against neighbouring authorities, and the current charge reflected the cost of providing the service. It was noted that the uptake was currently around double that of the previous year’s subscriptions.   RESOLVED (by majority):   That the Environment and Communities Committee:    1. Note the overall Council’s Financial Position as described within the Executive Summary – Council Financial Position.    2. Scrutinise the latest revenue forecast for Environment and Communities Directorate, review progress on the delivery of the MTFS approved budget policy change items (Table 3), the RAG ratings and to understand the actions to be taken to address any adverse variances from the approved budget.   3. Note the overall in-year forecast capital spending for Environment and Communities Directorate of £15.284m against a revised MTFS budget of £18.606m in Tables 4 and 5.   4. Note the Capital Budget reduction in Table 6.   5. Note the available reserves position in Table 7.

Date of Decision: November 13, 2025