Resources Committee - March 2023

This document contains the agenda for the Cairngorms National Park Authority Resources Committee meeting on 10 March 2023, from 9am to 10am. The agenda includes welcome, apologies, declarations of interest, and approval of minutes from the last meeting. There will be discussions on the 2022/23 budget monitoring (Paper 1) led by Louise Allen, Head of Finance and corporate operations and the 2023/24 budget development (Paper 2) led by David Cameron, Director of Corporate Service. The next meeting is scheduled for 19 May 2023, and there is also an 'any other competent business' (AOCB) item.

This document contains an overview of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's (NPA) budget management as of 31 January 2023. The Resources Committee is asked to consider the budget management for 2022/23 and any related risks. The financial position continues to project a break-even outturn, with an expected underspend of £120,000 in staff costs likely available for reallocation. Running costs are generally in line with expectations, although the peatland programme has lower than anticipated cash expenditure, with efforts underway to encourage claims against commitments. The report also notes that non-grant income is £52,000 below the phased budget, posing a manageable risk.

This document contains a budget report for the year ended 31 March 2023, comparing the actual figures to the budget as of 31 January 2023. It shows a breakdown of staff costs, project costs, running costs, and an operational plan. The total expenditure was 6,751,131.34 against a forecast of 7,652,001.00, resulting in an underspend of (900,869.66). The grant-in-aid drawn down was (7,802,000.00) against a forecast of (8,611,667.00), indicating an underspend of 809,667.00.

This document contains an outline of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's (NPA) 2023/24 budget, which is being presented to the Resources Committee. The document shows that the NPA's core income is set to increase by £2.117 million due to a rise in funding from the Scottish Government for both the National Parks budget, peatland restoration and nature recovery. Although the budget is still in development, there are already planned investments in staff, operational plans, and website modernisation and the committee is invited to review the budget position and provide feedback before the budget proposals are presented to the full board on 24 March 2023.

This document contains the minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority Resources Committee meeting held on 10 March 2023. The meeting included discussions on the 2022/23 budget monitoring position, where the finance team aimed for a financial break-even but acknowledged a potential underspend. A member asked for clarification about ringfenced funding for the peatland project and if any underspend could be used for pay awards. The Head of Finance confirmed that pay awards were covered and the Scottish Government was notified of the peatland project underspend. The committee also reviewed the 2023/24 budget development, noting a significant increase in grant in aid. Members discussed the People budget, infrastructure investment and potential technology upgrades, with a recommendation to present the Infrastructure Investment separately in the budget summary table.