Agenda item

This report gives details of the revenue and capital budget position for the Environment Directorate to the end of Quarter 3 2011/12. 

Report of the Director of Environment attached.

Appendices A to D6 attached.

The Committee considered the Quarter Three Finance update report which was presented by the Head of Finance and Performance. She informed the Committee that although this quarter reflected an overspend of approximately £300,000 the accounts were expected to be near balanced by the end of quarter four.  In response to questions the Head of Finance and Performance and the Director of Environment informed the Committee that:

(i)      At the current stage it was difficult to evaluate whether there would be an overall under-spend on capital by the end of the financial year, as this related to large scale projects such as the replacement of street lighting and the construction of school extensions, where finance management could not easily be predicted far in advance. 

(ii)    Some companies had not re-applied for inclusion in the Community Toilet Scheme, but the Council would be encouraging new and previous companies to join the scheme, in particular in view of the numbers expected to visit the borough during the Olympics.

(iii)   The percentage of recycling carried out in the Borough remained at a very good level; however, the percentages and income currently remained static predominantly because manufacturers were now using less packaging and lighter materials.

(iv)  The number of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by Parking Enforcement services had risen since the Council had been working with the contractor to address staffing and training issues. The average number of PCNs issued was now approximately one per hour per civil enforcement officer. It was noted that the Council no longer made use of camera cars.

(v)    The Council had renegotiated the Street Cleansing contract in February 2011 and this had allowed for significant savings to be realised without affecting the service quality. The savings were believed to be primarily due to the current competitive nature of the market. 

It was RESOLVED:

That the report and the latest projections be noted.