Shrewsbury & Atcham
Borough Council

PRESENT: Councillor K. Roberts (Chairman)

Councillors Adams, Durnell, Lord and J.M. Williams.

Also in Attendance: Councillors Barker, Bebb, Freestone, Jetson, Kenny, Nutting and Sambrook.

Officers in Attendance: Council Manager, Head of Finance, Senior Accountant and Senior Committee Services Officer.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Councillors Cooke, Farmer, Hendry, Owen and Parkhurst JP.

The Head of Finance presented the Annual Statement of Accounts for 2007/2008, together with his report thereon, during which he stressed that his only area of concern related to the cost of the national Concessionary Travel Scheme and the fact that the central government grant received to fund the scheme was insufficient and would continue to place great pressure on local authorities in the future unless the position was addressed.

The Chairman indicated that all members of the Council had been invited to the meeting to participate in the proceedings.

In examining the Final Accounts, members raised queries on the following matters to which the Head of Finance and Council Manager provided responses:

• Debtors – the provision for bad debts and the increase in respect of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement during the year.
• Concessionary Travel – the total spend on the scheme in 2007/08.
• Capital Assets – the estimated amount to be transferred to the Unitary authority.
• Pensions – the extent of the liability for the Council given the present deficit.
• Fixed Assets – details of the housing stock held.
• Leisure Services – operating costs for catering provision in leisure facilities.
• Capital Commitment for the provision of Social Housing – the amount spent to date of the £10m set aside.
• Salaries – the rate of increase during the year.

• Market Undertakings– income from the Livestock Market and the contract for the operation of the site.

• Expenditure on Publicity – proposed recruitment advertising spending during 2008/09 and recharge of tourism publicity costs during the year to Destination Shrewsbury (the Head of Finance undertook to provide a written answer).
• Capital Charges – how these are displayed in the accounts (the Committee agreed that the present method of a surplus or deficit being shown inclusive of capital charges should be continued).
• Income Projections – areas of anticipated comfort or concern.

• Museums – the amount in the Council’s ownership.

That the following recommendations be submitted to Council:

(a) That the Annual Statement of Accounts for 2007/2008 be approved.

(b) That the Annual Statement of Accounts for 2007/2008 be signed by the Leader of the Council.

(c) That the written representations provided to the Auditor as part of the Audit of the Annual Statement of Accounts for 2007/2008 be approved.

6.00 p.m. – 6.37 p.m.