Decision details

(i)       to note the positive cash position that has been achieved for the General Fund and HRA to the end of Quarter 1 as detailed in Appendix 1;

(ii)       to note the Common Good financial performance to the end of Quarter 1 as detailed in Appendix 3;

(iii)      to note that the General Fund full year forecast position, as detailed in Appendix 2, is expected to show a balanced position for 2021/22 through the mitigations contained within the report;

(iv)      to note that the HRA full year forecast position, as detailed in Appendix 2, is on target to achieve the approved budget, making a contribution to HRA reserves for 2021/22;

(v)      to note that the forecast for General Fund capital expenditure is that there will lower spend than has been profiled for 2021/22, and for Housing capital expenditure this will be on budget, as described in Appendix 2;

(vi)      to agree the financial resilience framework that has been described in Appendix 5 and note that this will be developed further and incorporated into the refreshed Medium Term Financial Strategy, which will be presented to the Committee at its November meeting;

(vii)     by supporting the ongoing promotional campaigns to attract people back into the city centre, to instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth in consultation with the Convener of the City Growth and Resources Committee, to procure street banners to be installed on Union Street to promote arts, museums, exhibitions and events, up to a maximum of £40,000 to be met from the current year City Growth budgets;

(viii)    to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services and the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to undertake increased cleaning, pavement washing, graffiti and fly posting removal and small maintenance works including repainting of railings on and around Union Street up to a maximum of £100,000 in 2021/22 to be met from Common Good cash balances, which have increased in Quarter 2; and

(ix)      that in relation to (viii) above, to instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to consider light cleaning works of statues, where appropriate.