MEETING OF THE RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Monday, 26 July 2004
FIRE SERVICE HEADQUARTERS,
LIME GROVE AVENUE, CARMARTHEN
Attendance
|
| Chairman: |
T E Evans |
| Vice Chairman: |
J J J Davies |
| Members: |
Cllrs: J S Allen-Mirehouse,Mrs T Devichand, Mrs J Dudley,C
Morgan, D Price, D C Prothero,G Seabourne, D G Sullivan, T Theophilus,
J D A Thompson
|
| In Attendance: |
Cllr B J Hall |
| Apologies: |
Cllr Mrs P Spender |
1. DECLARATION BY MEMBERS OF ANY PERSONAL
INTEREST
None were declared
2. TO CONFIRM AS A TRUE RECORD
THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 26TH APRIL 2004
The minutes of the meeting held on 26th April 2004 were received
and confirmed as a true record
3. TO RECEIVE THE TREASURER’S
BUDGET MONITORING REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2004/05
Revenue Monitoring Report for the period 1st April to 30th June
2004
The Treasurer reported that the detailed budget had now been completed
with the allocation of the £300k IRMP savings within the Employees
budget of which £200k was from full-time vacant posts and £100k
from reduced retained activity. The total expenditure to date included
actual expenditure recorded on the financial ledger and known commitments
to 30th June. An underspend for the period of £427k was noted,
with the forecast expenditure for the year remaining within the budget
overall. Expenditure had been delayed on Central Training (within
the Employees budget), Leasing and Pensions, but these would even
out as the year progressed.
The profiled budget to June for uniformed
pay had been based on current pay but the estimated commitments to
the year end had allowed for payment of the full Stage 2 and Stage
3 pay increases within the year.
The Treasurer reported that within
the Employees budget to 30th June there had been a net overspend on
uniformed pay of £18k, which when extrapolated gave a forecast
overspend of £85k for the whole year, attributable to retained
pay costs. This had indicated that it was likely that the IRMP savings
would not be fully realised in the year with the underlying causes
being the high retained costs, in spite of the AFA call reduction
strategies, which would be subject to clarification from activity
data.
Capital Monitoring Report for the Period 1st April to 30th June
2004
The expenditure to date on Capital Projects was reported against
the Approved Capital Programme and the 3-year Approved Capital Programme
was noted for information.
RESOLUTION
It was RESOLVED that
The Treasurer’s Budget Monitoring Report and the
Capital Monitoring report for the period 1st April to 30th June
2004 be received
and
approved.
4. TO RECEIVE THE TREASURER’S
REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2004
Revenue out turn for the period 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004
The
Treasurer reminded Members that the expected out turn for 2003/04
had been reported to the Resources Committee on 26th April 2004 and
that the 2003/04 Statement of Accounts, which was now nearing completion,
indicated that the final figures would show no significant changes.
It was noted that the Revenue expenditure for the year ended 31st
March 2004 was £36.160m.
Capital out turn report for the period
1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004
It was noted that the total capital
expenditure was £1.197m, which was financed mainly by loan,
using Basic Credit Approval of £0.904m. The Dyfed-Powys Police
contribution to the joint project at Crymych amounted to £0.082m
for 2003/04. Government grants totalling £0.110m had been received
to fund New Dimension building projects and the new telephone system
and in addition, direct revenue financing of £0.101m had been
used to finance vehicles and equipment.
Members were informed that
the Statement of Accounts, subject to audit, would be presented for
approval by Members at the September meeting of the Fire Authority.
The deadline for approval of the Statement of Accounts remained at
30th September for the 2003/04 Accounts.
RESOLUTION
It was RESOLVED that
The Capital and Revenue out turns for the period 1st April 2003
to 31st March 2004 be received and approved.
5. TO CONSIDER THE REPORT
ON THE HEADQUARTERS ACCOMMODATION PROJECT
The Chief Fire Officer provided
Members with an update on the progress of the new Headquarters Accommodation
Project at Lime Grove Avenue, from which it was noted that the planning
and design processes was ongoing, and that a formal planning submission
had been made to the local authority, the result of which was awaited.
Detailed drawings were currently being drawn up to support the building
regulations application, and once planning approval had been granted,
it was proposed that a formal tendering exercise would be undertaken
in the late summer or early autumn.
Committee were reminded that this
project had been included within the approved Capital Programme for
the current and 2005/06 financial year, with funding allocations made
in the amounts of £750K and £1.342 million respectively.
Meeting the current project timetable, and thereby the expenditure
profile, would require a start to be made on the site by no later
than November 2004. This was an ambitious timetable, and whilst it
remained achievable, it would require all current components of the
final design, planning, building control and tendering procedures
to be completed by no later than the end of October.
In the event
that this timetable was subject to slippage during any of the current
preparatory stages, it would be necessary to re-schedule the expenditure
profile for the project. If this proved to be the case, arrangements
would be made to bring forward capital projects currently scheduled
for the next financial year, in order to optimise the use of available
capital resources in the current year, and then to reallocate funds
released from next year towards the Headquarters project.
Committee
were aware that it was extremely difficult to judge whether the
project timetable would be realisable as much depended upon progress
in gaining
planning and building control approval, processes which would need
to be complete in order to inform the production of tender specification
documents. In the event that slippage occurred, Members endorsed
in principle the re-phasing of the approved capital programme in
order to ensure that available capital allocations would be fully
utilised.
Should this become necessary, further detailed reports would be
presented to Committee on the affected schemes. In the meantime it
was agreed
that officers would undertake the necessary preparatory works to
ensure
that should re-phasing be necessary, substitute projects were at
the appropriate stage of readiness in order to take up any available
capital
resources in the current financial year.
RESOLUTION
It was RESOLVED that
the updated report be received and that the principle
of re-phasing the projects within the current and next year’s
capital programme be endorsed, subject to detailed reports being
submitted to Committee
at the appropriate stages.
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