Appendix 3 (d)

Blackpool Council - Resources Directorate

Revenue summary - budget, actual and forecast:

Directorate revenue summary graph - budget, actual and forecast:

Directorate capital position:

TOTAL / SPEND / BUDGET / CAPITAL / TOTAL / EXPENDITURE / PROJECTED / F/CAST FINAL
CAPITAL SCHEMES IN PROGRESS / SCHEME / AS AT / BROUGHT / PROGRAMME / BUDGET / APR - NOV / SPEND / VARIANCE
FOR THE DIRECTORATE / BUDGET / 31 Mar 10 / FWD 09/10 / 10/11 / 10/11 / (UNDER)/
OVER
£000 / £000 / £000 / £000 / £000 / £000 / £000 / £000
FINANCIAL SUPPORT / 49 / - / - / 49 / 49 / 28 / 21 / -
-
TOTAL RESOURCES DIRECTORATE / 49 / - / - / 49 / 49 / 28 / 21

Commentary on the key issues:

Directorate Summary - basis

  • The Revenue summary on the previous page lists the latest outturn projection for each individual service within the Resources Directorate against their respective, currently approved, revenue budget. This takes account of the total brought forward under and overspendings from 2009/10 as reported in the Provisional Revenue Outturn 2009/10 and approved by the Executive on the 23rd June 2010. Forecast outturns are based upon actual financial performance for the first 8 months of 2010/11 together with predictions of performance, anticipated pressures and efficiencies in the remainder of the financial year, all of which have been agreed with each head of service.

Procurement and Development

  • The Procurement function is forecast to save £32k in 2010/11. This is mainly due to contract negotiations and will contribute to the Resources Directorate savings target as a whole.

Revenues, Benefits and Transactional Services

  • The replacement of the existing Revenues and Benefits software package is ongoing. The Academy project has now gone live for both Blackpool and Fylde. A proportion of revenue budgets from service efficiencies and the 2009/10 underspend brought forward will be utilised for backlog-busting for Blackpool Council caseloads. Additional savings have been made in-year on contract costs and by not filling staff vacancies. This service projects being £101k underspent in 2010/11.

Legal and Democratic services

  • Legal and Democratic Services is forecasting an underspend of £213k for 2010/11. This underspend is mainly due to a £100k saving by Area Forums and Wards and a £34k saving on members’ allowances. Since month 7 additional staff savings are now forecast within Registrars, whilst Electoral Services have obtained additional funds to cover a previous pressure of one-off election costs.

ICT and Customer First

  • ICT and Customer First is forecasting a break-even position overall, with staffing and infrastructure pressures in ICT being offset by savings in Customer First staffing and maintenance contracts. A restructure for both service areas is due to take place in early 2011. A reduction in the mobile telephony charges will be introduced from January 2011 and the volume of ICT procurements has dropped significantly in the last 12 months. The introduction of a range of measures to manage both services with less resource whilst improving the level of service has been achieved by taking a systems thinking approach. Both services continue to improve the level of performance whilst still achieving the target savings.

Finance and Audit

  • Finance and Audit has been restructured in-year to achieve efficiency savings of 15% and are forecasting a year-end underspend of £84k. This restructure has streamlined the division, combining a downsizing with a realignment of Accountancy services, Internal Audit, Risk and Insurance and statutory Civil Contingencies to reflect the new organisational structure that they support.A stringent housekeeping policy across the division has lead to savings in other areas of the Department’s budget. The one area protected has been Fraud Investigation in order to maintain an effective policing and deterrent role in the current economic climate.

Capital

  • There is just one capital scheme ongoing. The position is set out in the preceding table.

Summary of the revenue and capital forecasts

After 8 months of the financial year the Resources Directorate is forecasting a £430k underspend. The Directorate continues to operate on the basis of not filling staff vacancies other than in exceptional circumstances.

Budget Holder – Mr A Pollock, Director of Resources