The figures below show the cost of the day to day running of Council services. Total
net expenditure was £336.7m. Amounts are shown in £m.
The Cost of Council Services 2014/15 (other than Council Housing)
Total expenditure
| Expenditure | £m |
|---|
| Education | £175.9 |
| Social Work | £93.3 |
| Development | £35.8 |
| Corporate and Neighbourhood | £14.7 |
| Valuation Board | £1.2 |
| Falkirk Community Trust | £13.1 |
| Other Services | £11.4 |
| Adjustment for Capital Charges |
-£8.7 |
| Total |
£336.7 |
How net expenditure was funded
| Funded by | £m |
|---|
| Government Grants and share of NDRI | £279.5 |
| Council Tax | £53.3 |
| Contribution from Reserves | £3.9 |
How the money was spent
| Expenditure | £m |
|---|
| Employee Expenses | £203.7 |
| Property Expenses | £24.9 |
| Transport Expenses | £15.9 |
| Supplies and Services | £34.5 |
| Third Party Payments | £128.1 |
| Transfer Payments | £47.2 |
| Support Services | £37.7 |
| Capital Financing Costs | £34.2 |
| Income |
-£189.5 |
| Total |
£336.7 |
Financial Performance
Spending on the delivery of all services other than council housing was around £2.87m or 0.9% above the assumed level. This over spend when added to other adjustments led to an overall decrease in general reserves of £3.94m.
Council Housing
At 31 March 2015 the Council owned 16,325 properties. By law there is a requirement
that all expenditure on these properties is financed from rent and other housing
income.
The average weekly rent for the year was £57.46, increase by 3.6% from the 2013/14
level. The average rent in Scotland throughout the year was £62.13.
The cost of providing services to council housing tenants was at the planned level.
The level of reserves at 31 March 2015 remained at £5.093m.
Income
| Income | £m |
|---|
| Rental Income | £49.2 |
| Other Income | £1.6 |
| Transfer from Reserves | £0.0 |
Expenditure
| Expenditure | £m |
|---|
| Repairs and Maintenance | £23.5 |
| Supervision and Management | £11.3 |
| Capital Financing Costs | £12.7 |
| Other Costs | £3.3 |
Capital
Capital expenditure represents money spent on purchasing, upgrading and improving
assets.
The Council has 2 separate capital programmes – Council Housing and General Services, for example schools and roads.
Capital expenditure
| Expenditure | £m |
|---|
| Council Housing | £35.1 |
| Roads and Infrastructure | £8.4 |
| Economic Development | £0.8 |
| Education | £5.9 |
| Other – mainly Transport, ICT and Parks | £7.1 |
| Community | £3.6 |
| Social Work | £0.6 |
Capital expenditure financed by
| Income | £m |
|---|
| Sale of Council Houses | £3.3 |
| Government Grants | £18.5 |
| Capital Financed from Revenue | £7.7 |
| Borrowing | £27.9 |
| Other Receipts | £4.1 |
Major Capital Projects undertaken by the Council included:
- £35.1m on Council Housing including £12.9m on external fabric improvements and £7.3m on new build houses
- £8.4m on roads, lighting and footpaths
- £5.9m on schools
- £3.6m investment in community facilities including The Helix
- £4.7m on the vehicle replacement programme
Council Tax
The Band D council tax was set at £1,070 for the year which was £79 lower than the
average in Scotland. Council tax bills were sent to around 72,967 households in
March 2014.
In 2014/15 the council collected 95.7% of council tax by March 2015 (2013/14, 95.6%).
The ultimate collection rate for 2014/15 is anticipated to be 97.8%.
Reserves
At the end of 2014/15 the Council held general fund reserves of £24.03m. The devolved
schools reserve and other earmarked reserves amounted to almost £10.56m, with the
Housing Revenue Account balance being a further £5.09m. This leaves general reserves
of c£8.37m.