Issue - meetings
SECOND QUARTER CAPITAL MONITORING REVIEW 2025/26
Meeting: 20/01/2026 - Cabinet (Item 13)
13 SECOND QUARTER CAPITAL BUDGET MONITORING REVIEW 2025/26 
PDF 171 KB
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – RESOURCES
To update Cabinet on progress with delivering the Capital Programme
for 2025/26, as at the end of September 2025.
Additional documents:
Decision:
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
(1) Noted the forecast expenditure of £26.416M in 2025/26 on the capital programme, paragraph 8.3 refers.
(2) Approved the adjustments to the capital programme for 2026/27, as a result of the revised timetable of schemes detailed in table 2 and 3 and the update on the museum storage project, increasing the estimated spend by £0.773M.
(3) Noted the position of the availability of capital resources, as detailed in table 4 paragraph 8.6 and the requirement to keep the capital programme under review for affordability.
REASON FOR DECISIONS: Cabinet is required to approve adjustments to the capital programme and ensure the capital programme is fully funded.
Minutes:
Audio recording – 1 hour 9 minutes 55 seconds
In the absence of the Chair of Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, the Chair invited Councillor Ian Albert, as Executive Member of Finance and IT, to present the referral and report entitled ‘Second Quarter Capital Budget Monitoring Review 2025/26’. Councillor Albert advised that:
· There had been discussion at Finance, Audit and Risk Committee about the timing of meetings and that by the time some reports were presented they had become relatively out of date.
· There had been discussion about how difficult it would be to get a vehicle to the upper floors of the Lairage Mult-Storey Car Park in Hitchin for resurfacing.
· This report summarised the progress with delivering the capital programme for 2025/26, which included the most recent updates.
· Following the report to Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Museum Storage report, the forecast spend could be reduced to £3m which therefore required an amendment to the figure in recommendation 2.2 from £1.773M £0.773M.
· There was an additional £50K requested for the higher-than-expected demand and increased price of domestic bins.
· The forecast overspend in the Decarbonisation Project as detailed in Table 3 of the report, was set with a 5% tolerance in the budget.
In response to a question from Councillor Mick Debenham, Councillor Ian Albert advised that the timing of meetings needed to be looked at to try and ensure reports did not go out of date before they were presented to committees.
In response to a question from Councillor Mick Debenham, the Director – Resources advised that the timing of reports was based on the dates for the civic year which were set by Council.
Councillor Ian Albert proposed as amended and Councillor Donna Wright seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
(1) Noted the forecast expenditure of £26.416M in 2025/26 on the capital programme, paragraph 8.3 refers.
(2) Approved the adjustments to the capital programme for 2026/27, as a result of the revised timetable of schemes detailed in table 2 and 3 and the update on the museum storage project, increasing the estimated spend by £0.773M.
(3) Noted the position of the availability of capital resources, as detailed in table 4 paragraph 8.6 and the requirement to keep the capital programme under review for affordability.
REASON FOR DECISIONS: Cabinet is required to approve adjustments to the capital programme and ensure the capital programme is fully funded.