Cabinet:
1. Noted the progress made to date with the development of the Council’s budget for 2013/14 and beyond.
2. Noted the outcome of the Autumn Budget Statement and the likely impact on local authorities.
3. Noted the outcome of the provisional local government financial settlement announcement, and that officers were continuing to work on the details as the information was produced very late, or in some cases, still awaited.
4. Noted, arising from the settlement, the reductions in mainstream Government funding for 2013/14 and 2014/15, of around £2m and £6m respectively, that equate to additional reductions of around £1.5m and £3m, or £4.5m in total.
5. Noted the potential reduction in funding in early intervention services, which was still under review.
6. Noted that a response to the consultation process had been submitted and that a meeting with the Minister had taken place.
7. Noted the expected date for the announcement of the final settlement and that, owing to timing, further supplemental information to the main Council Tax report may need to be submitted at the February Cabinet meeting.
8. Noted that the proposals contained in the reports to Cabinet in July 2010 and July 2011 had been incorporated in the Council’s future budget as appropriate.
9. Noted that the Administration was committed to maintaining the stability of the Council's finances whilst doing everything it could to keep Council Tax rises to a minimum and if at all possible, to freeze Havering’s Council Tax at the current level.
10. Noted the Council’s intention to take advantage of the new Council Tax freeze grant for 2013/14.
11. Issued the Cabinet report for consultation to Members, the unions and affected staff, and other stakeholder groups.
12. Agreed that a consultative presentation would be made to a joint meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees.
13. Noted the financial position of the Council in the current year.
14. Agreed that any future underspends from the Corporate Contingency Fund, from the Transformation budget, and from any service revenue underspends, be allocated to the Strategic Reserve.
15. Approved the updated version of the Corporate Plan set out in Appendix F of the Cabinet report.
16. Noted the summary of the GLA’s consultation budget and the expected date for the publication of the final proposals.