Agenda item

The Board had before it a report prepared by the Chief Finance Officer outlining the 2025/26 revenue budget for the delivery of the IJB’s responsibilities and the financial allocations proposed to be made from Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian to fund the IJB for the 2025/26 year.

The Chief Finance Officer introduced the report and responded to questions from members.

The report recommended:-

that the Board:

(a)          note that the IJB had requested additional in year funding of £10.909m from Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian to allow the IJB to balance the 2025/26 budget;

(b)          note that Aberdeen City Council agreed its General Fund budget for 2025/26 on 5 March 2025, with an increase of £9.536m of funding for the IJB, which included £4.2m towards the request noted at 2.1.1, and approved revised charges that would increase income for the IJB by £0.381m;

(c)          note that NHS Grampian met to agree their 2025/26 budget on 10 April 2025. This would include consideration of £12.647m of additional funding for the IJB which if approved would include £6.7m towards the request noted at 2.1.1;

(d)          approve the proposed Revenue Budget for the 2025/26 financial year subject to the decision of NHS Grampian on 10 April 2025;

(e)          approve the savings proposed of £14.354m to balance the budget for 2025/26;

(f)           make the Directions at Appendix 1B to Aberdeen City Council and Appendix 1A to NHS Grampian and instruct the Chief Officer to issue the Directions to Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian respectively; and

(g)          note that should the budget assumptions not be approved by NHS Grampian the IJB would convene an urgent meeting to reconsider its budget.

The Board had before it an amendment from Councillor Malik:-

that the Board –

(1)          agree that Integrated Joint Boards throughout Scotland and in particular Aberdeen continue to be underfunded by the Scottish Government;

(2)          agree the Scottish government has wasted a huge amount of money and effort in bringing forward a National Care Service only for it to be scrapped at the eleventh hour;

(3)          agree that the Aberdeen IJB is living beyond its means and therefore requires to make difficult decisions about service provision before asking its partners for more and more money;

(4)          agree having no reserves reflects badly on the Board accepting that reserves were probably used to cover chronic underfunding by the Scottish Government over the last three years; and

(5)          agree not to adopt the budget, noting NHS Grampian has not yet agreed to our request for a contribution, noting they will not do so until 7 April which is outwith our timescale for approving our budget therefore agree instead to re-look at the budget to reduce costs and live within our means rather than simply asking partners to bail out the Aberdeen IJB by asking officers to bring forward a balanced budget on or before 31 March 2025.

Councillor Malik’s amendment failed to attract a seconder and was therefore not put to the vote, in accordance with Standing Order 23.9.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to note that the references to 2.1.1 in recommendations (b) and (c) of the report should state (a); and

(ii)          to otherwise approve the recommendations.

At this juncture, Councillor Malik intimated that he did not agree with the recommendations and would not support them, and asked for it to be recorded in the minute.