I am requesting the following data for the years 2007 to the most recent available financial year:
1. Budget Gap Data: The budget gap figures for each financial year, which represent the difference between planned expenditure and expected revenue for the council. This should include:
• The projected and actual budget gaps for each year.
• Any relevant documents, such as Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) reports, budget reports, or similar documents that contain projections or actuals on budget gaps.
2. Council Reserves: Details of your council’s financial reserves, including:
• Total reserves held by the council at the end of each financial year.
• The breakdown of these reserves into usable reserves (those that can be used for future spending) and unusable reserves (those that are set aside for accounting purposes).
• Any documents or reports detailing how the reserves have been allocated or planned to be used, including any decisions on maintaining reserve levels.
3. Local Service Spending: Information on the total local service spending, broken down by major service areas (e.g., housing, social care, transport, education, environmental services). Specifically, I would like:
• The budgeted and actual expenditure figures for each service type.
• Year-on-year percentage changes in spending levels.
4. Central Government Grants and Funding Reductions: Any reports or documents detailing the reductions in central government funding to your council during the period in question and their projected impact on the council’s financial strategy.