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Only Council can agree the Authority’s budget for the year and the specified plans and strategies that are included in the Budget and Policy Framework. The Mayor and Executive will make proposals to Council in relation to the budget and those plans and strategies, for adoption by Council. If Council does not agree with those proposals of the Mayor/ Executive, a dispute resolution process as set out in section 2 below (but summarised here) applies:-

Where Council wishes to amend the Executive’s proposals it may, by a majority vote, send the budget, plan or strategy back to the Executive, who must consider whether or not to make any amendments before re-submitting the item to Council.

Council will be responsible for the adoption of its budget and policy framework as set out in Section 28. In relation to the budget and the plans and strategies listed in Section 7:-

The Mayor as the Executive has responsibility for preparing the draft plan or strategy for submission to Council; and • If Council wishes to amend the Mayor’s proposals in relation to the items included in the Budget and Policy Framework only, the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2001 sets out the dispute resolution procedure to be followed. Council must inform the Mayor of any objections which it has to his proposals (i.e. the amendments it wishes to agree) and must give the Mayor at least five working days, starting on the day following the meeting, to reconsider his proposals and re-submit them (amended or not, with reasons) to a further Council meeting. If at this further meeting Council still wishes to amend the Mayor’s revised proposals, such a decision requires a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting. If no valid amendment at the further meeting receives two-thirds support, the Mayor’s proposals are deemed adopted in accordance with the regulations.

Once a budget or a policy framework document has been agreed, it is the responsibility of the Mayor, the Executive and officers to implement it.

The process by which the budget and policy framework shall be developed is:

The Executive will publicise, by publishing a notice in accordance with the Access to Information Procedure Rules at Part B Section 8 of this Constitution, a timetable for making proposals to Council for the adoption of any plan, strategy or budget that forms part of the budget and policy framework and its arrangements for consultation after publication of those initial proposals.

estimates of the amounts to be aggregated in making a calculation (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of sections 32 to 37 or 43 to 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (calculation of budget requirement etc.); or

Decisions Outside the Budget or Policy Framework