The Committee will receive a verbal statement from the Leader of the Council, Cllr Eileen Lintill, who will update the Committee on the Future Services Framework and the Levelling Up Fund. Members will then have the opportunity to ask questions.
Minutes:
The Chairman invited the Leader, Eileen Lintill, to update the Committee on the Levelling Up Fund and the Future Services Framework.
Levelling Up Fund
Cllr Lintill briefly outlined the background to the Levelling Up Fund (LUF), explaining that it is £4.8billion fund from National Government to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life in the UK. It is distributed through a competitive bidding process and all local authorities are assigned a priority category. Before phase 2 of the Fund was rolled out, Chichester was moved from category 3 to category 2 and therefore Full Council agreed to submit a bid. She noted the short time scale for this bid and explained that authority was given to her as Leader, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Executive and the Director for Growth and Place. The options have been reviewed in weekly meetings before a final sign off later this week to meet the 6th July deadline, after which Members will receive an email with details of the bid.
Cllr Lintill also referenced the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which sits alongside the LUF. It differs to the LUF in that it is a finite amount of money; CDC has been awarded £1million spread over three years. Officers have been working on an investment plan which must be submitted. The Shared Prosperity Fund requires the Council to work with partners, from whom the Council have received a number of bids exceeding the allotted amount of money. Once Officers have concluded assessments, Cllrs Lintill and Moss will agree what is to be included in the plan. As the LUF will benefit Chichester City only, it has been agreed that monies from the Shared Prosperity Fund will be weighted towards projects outside of the City or those which benefit the District as a whole.
Future Services Framework
Cllr Lintill explained that the Future Services Framework (FSF) is a model developed to allow CDC flexibility if faced with uncertain financial circumstances.
Phase One included looking for as many efficiencies as possible to reduce costs without affecting frontline services. On conclusion the total saving is likely to be lower at 75% of the original projected £2.5 million.
Phase 2 looked at savings options, including rent levels at Westwood House and the costs of CCTV amongst others.
Phase 3 aimed to prioritise Council services that are discretionary and not legally required. The priority of services was agreed at Full Council.
Cllr Lintill expressed that whilst CDC hope to be able to provide all services, this important preliminary work had been completed highlighting which services could be cut should it be necessary. The process also highlighted that CDC currently provide well over the statutorily required services.
The Chairman expressed concern for the potential impact on communities if services were cut; Cllr Lintill offered assurance that in the short term they would not and explained that the financial model is reviewed regularly by SLT and Cabinet who would always endeavour to preserve services.
Cllr Moss added that the work undertaken was vital for the future of the Council. He cautioned that with the growing cost of living crisis and the lower use of carparks impacting income streams that CDC would inevitably come under significant financial pressure and must be nimble to safeguard vital services.
The Chairman thanked Cllr Lintill for attending the meeting and providing an update to the Committee.