Democracy Spraffa

Item 14 - Educational Services Budgetary Control Report to 30 June 2023 (Period 3)

West Dunbartonshire Council · 27 September 2023
Back to Educational Services Committee — 27 September 2023 and its agenda

Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.

Original council PDF · Download plain text

Page 1

WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL
Report by the Chief Officer (Resources)
Educational Services Committee: 27 September 2023
___________________________________________________________________
Subject: Educational Services Budgetary Control Report to
30 June 2023 (Period 3)
1. Purpose
1.1 The purpose of the report is to provide Committee with an update on the
financial performance of Educational Services to 30 June 2023 (Period 3).
2. Recommendations
2.1  Committee is asked to:
(a) note that the revenue account currently shows a projected annual adverse
revenue variance of £1.865m (1.6% of the total budget); and
(b) note that the capital account shows a projected nil variance.
3. Background
Revenue
3.1 At the meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council on 1 March 2023, Members
agreed the revenue estimates for 2023/2024, including a total net Educational
Services Committee budget of £113.150m. Since then the following budget
adjustments have taken place revising the budget to £115.895m.
Budget Agreed by Council 1 March 2023   £113.150m
Summer Programme
Pay Award Additional Funding
ISDN budget savings    
Mobile licences budget realignment     
£0.080m     
£2.724m  
(£0.058m)  
(£0.001m)
Revised Budget  £115.895m
3.2 While the teachers’ pay award has been agreed (to August 2024) the APT&C
pay award for APT&C staff from 1 April 2023 has not. This report assumes a
pay award of 4%. There is a risk the 2023/24 APT&C pay award will be
materially higher.
3.3    A list of agreed management adjustments totalling £2.453m is shown within
Appendix 4. Current indications show £2.438m – all but £0.015m - is on target
to be achieved.
ITEM 14

Page 2

Capital
3.4 At its 1 March 2023 meeting, the Council also agreed the updated General
Services Capital Plan for 2023/2024 to 2031/32. The three years from
2023/24 to 2025/26 were approved in detail with the remaining years being
indicative at that stage. After adjusting for anticipated re-profiling from 2022/23
into 2023/24 and £0.200m programme acceleration at Renton, the budget
agreed for 2023/24 was £9.992m. 
4. Main Issues   
Revenue Budget
4.1 The current departmental budgetary position is summarised in Appendix 1,
with detailed analysis by service in Appendix 2. 
4.2 The overall projected full year variance is £1.865m adverse. Information and
all individual variances of over £50,000 are detailed in Appendix 3. 
Capital
4.5 The overall Educational Services programme summary report at Appendix 5
shows that the expected spend on the project life is anticipated to be £0.120m
less than the original budget, and there is currently £3.199m reprofiling of
current year budget to 2023/24.  Appendix 6 highlights 1 project which will
have budget reprofiled into 2023/24 and  Appendix 7 highlights all projects at
green status, of which none have an in-year variance of over £0.050m. 
5. People Implications 
5.1 There are no direct people implications. 
6. Financial and Procurement Implications 
6.1 Other than the financial position noted above and within the appendices, there
are no financial or procurement implications of the budgetary control report. 
7. Risk Analysis 
7.1 The main financial risks to the ongoing financial position relate to unforeseen
costs and/or reduced income streams being identified between now and the
end of the financial year. Finance staff are in regular discussion with budget
holders to ensure potential issues are identified as early as possible in order
to mitigate this risk. 
7.2      A more specific uncertainty surrounds the outcome of the APT&C  pay award
for 2023/24. The figures in the attached appendices have assumed that the
pay award is 4%.

Page 3

8.        Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 
8.1 The report is for noting and therefore, no Equalities Impact Assessment was
completed for this report. 
9.        Consultation 
9.1 The views of Education, Finance and Legal services were requested in the
preparation of this report and they have advised there are neither any
additional issues nor concerns with the proposal. As the report is for noting no
further consultation is envisaged. 
10.      Strategic Assessment 
10.1 Proper budgetary control and sound financial practice are cornerstones of
good governance and support Council and officers to pursue the 5 strategic
priorities of the Council’s Strategic Plan. This report forms part of the financial
governance of the Council.   
Laurence Slavin
Chief Officer - Resources 
Date: 5 September 2023 
Person to Contact:  Joe Reilly - Business Unit Finance Partner (Education),
Church St, Dumbarton, G82 1QL, telephone: 01389
737707, e-mail joe.reilly@west-dunbarton.gov.uk 
Appendices:  Appendix 1 - Revenue Budgetary Control 2023/24
- Summary Report 
Appendix 2 - Revenue Budgetary Control 2023/24
- Service Reports
- 
Appendix 3 - Analysis of Revenue Variances over     
£50,000 
Appendix 4 – Analysis of Revenue Efficiencies 
Appendix 5 - Capital Programme Summary

Page 4

Appendix 6 – Capital Projects at Red Status 
Appendix 7 – Capital Projects at Green Status 
Background Papers: Ledger output – period 3 
General Services Revenue Estimates 2023/24   
Wards Affected:  ,All