Agenda Item No.12

 

THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL

 

CABINET MEETING : 28th February 2007

 

REPORT OF THE CORPORATE MANAGEMENT TEAM 

 

CAPITAL MONITORING FOR THE PERIOD 1st APRIL 2006 TO 31st  JANUARY 2007

 

 

Purpose of Report

           

1.             To advise Cabinet of the progress on the 2006/07 Capital Programme for the period 1st April 2006 to 31st January 2007 and where necessary to request changes to the programme.

 

Background

 

2.             Council on the 8th February 2006, minute number 812, approved the proposed Capital Programme for 2006/07. 

 

Relevant Issues and Options

 

 

3.             Appendix 1 details financial progress on the Capital Programme as at 31st January 2007.

 

Social Services

4.             At the Cabinet meeting of 31st January 2007 it was agreed to accept an approved Welsh Assembly Government capital grant for £169,323 in respect of Flying Start. Flying Start is a Welsh Assembly Government initiative to improve the life chances of children by targeting services at 0 – 4 year olds living in the most deprived areas Appendix 1 has been amended to reflect the approval.

 

Housing

5.             Cabinet have previously approved schemes to the value of £2.4 million on the Major Repairs Allowance. A report has recently been sent to the Welsh Assembly Government detailing the use of the available 2006/07 funding of £2.7 million. It is requested that Cabinet approve the inclusion of the balance of £0.3 million in the capital programme in order that further major improvement works be completed in this financial year.

 

6.             Penarth Renewal Area – at the 14th February 2007 meeting Council approved a virement of £378,000 to fund Disabled Facilities Grants. This has been reflected in Appendix 1.

 

7.             It is requested that a further £8,000 be included in the capital programme for Building Safer Communities 2006/07. Funding from the Home Office has been secured to install a security gate at Barry Island car park entrance in order to reduce crime and disorder.

 

Director of Lifelong Learning

8.             Emergency Powers have been implemented in order that underspends and an uncommitted contingency budget within the schools asset renewal budget 2006/07 to the value of £39,000 could be used for works at Ysgol Gwaun Y Nant within this financial year. Two schemes have been identified as urgent – roofing works at £20,000  and a new two classroom extension at  £15,000. The roofing works will also continue into 2007/08 and as such an allocation for the balance of the works required will be committed from the 2007/08 schools asset renewal budget.  These amendments have been incorporated into Appendix 1.

 

9.             It is anticipated that the following schemes will not be completed on target.

 

Director of Environmental and Economic Regeneration

10.        Barry Central Station - delays due to the required sign-off procedure with Network Rail and the inability to confirm rail possession dates until the contract was in place. In addition there are delays in the steelwork delivery dates that have resulted in slippage of the 2006/07 programme. Given these factors the actual spending in this financial year will be circa £302,000 which is £402,000 below the budget. The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) have been informed of this underspend and a request has been made to them to slip the Transport Grant funding into 2007/08. If this request is not granted the remainder of the scheme will have to have priority in next year’s allocation. It is requested that Cabinet note the predicted underspend and reduce the current capital programme accordingly. Cabinet will be informed of WAG’s decision on grant slippage.

 

11.        The Parc Bryn Y Don Changing Rooms/Cricket Pavillion scheme is likely to be £80,000 underspent due to problems encountered with recent inclement weather.  As such, it is requested that, as the works will still be on-going next financial year, that the £80,000 funding is slipped into 2007/08.

 

12.        The recent inclement weather conditions and external design issues  have meant that the Dyffryn House enveloping works are expected to be £65,000 underspent this year though the funds are still required in 2007/08 to continue the work.  It is therefore requested that the funding be slipped into 20007/08.


 

Director of Learning and Development

13.          The scope of the planned toilet refurbishment at St Nicholas Church in Wales Primary has been extended to include further works and the current budget is now insufficient to cover the whole scheme. It is therefore proposed that the £20,000 budget in the 2006/07 schools asset renewal capital budget be slipped forward and added to a further £15,000 from the 2007/08 asset renewal budget and work be completed next year.

 

14.        Appendix 2 provides non-financial information on capital schemes with a budget of over £100,000.   Where a budget shown in Appendix 1 is more than £100,000 but is made up of several schemes that individually are less than £100,000, the scheme is not included in Appendix 2.

 

 

Resource Implications (Financial and Employment)

 

15.         The financial implications are discussed against each scheme above.  

 

 

Legal Implications (to include Human Rights Implications)

 

16.        There are no legal implications.

 

 

Crime and Disorder Implications

 

17.        There are no crime and disorder implications.

 

 

Equal Opportunities Implications (to include Welsh Language issues)

 

18.        There are no equal opportunity implications.

 

 

Corporate/Service Objectives

 

19.        Effective monitoring assists in the provision of accurate and timely information to officers and members and in particular allows services to better manage their resources.

 


 

Policy Framework and Budget

 

20.        Part of this report should be referred to Council because it is contrary to and not wholly in accordance with the budget.

 

 

Consultation (including Ward Member Consultation)

 

21.        Each Scrutiny Committee will receive a monitoring report on their respective areas. This report does not require Ward Member consultation.

 

 

Appropriate Scrutiny Committee

 

22.        All.

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That Cabinet approve the following changes to the capital programme :

 

(i)            Education Asset Renewal – that the underspend on the St Athan service renewal be vired to cover the schemes at Ysgol Gwaun Y Nant for roofing and classroom extensions.         

 

(ii)          Flying Start Grant – include a budget of £116,000 which will be funded by a Welsh Assembly Government grant.

 

(iii)        Building Safer Communities 2006/07 – increase the current budget by £8,000 to cover installation of a security gate at Barry Island car park. Funded by a Home Office grant.

 

(iv)         St Nicholas Primary toilet refurbishment – reduce budget to nil (carry forward £20,000).

 

(v)           Dyffryn House enveloping – reduce budget to £485,000 (carry forward £65,000).

 

(vi)         Parc Bryn Y Don – reduce budget to £495,000 (carry forward £80,000).

 

(vii)       Major Repairs Allowance – increase the budget to £2.7 million to allow full utilisation of the Welsh Assembly Grant allocation 2006/07.

 

(viii)     Barry Central Station – reduce budget to £302,000 (carry forward £402,000).


 

 

Reasons for Recommendations

 

i)               To allow schemes to be undertaken/completed in a future financial year.

 

ii)             To allow schemes to be undertaken in this financial year

 

              

 

Background Papers

 

 None

 

Contact Officer – Laura Davis, Senior Accountant (01446 709249)

 

Officers Consulted - The Directors of Learning and Development, Community Services and Environment and Economic Regeneration and Legal and Regulatory Services                      

   

                   

SIAN DAVIES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, ICT & PROPERTY