Yesterday’s meeting was a fairly short one. It was too hot in the Guildhall to stay for too long. I wonder how much hotter it will be when we have a pizza restaurant downstairs.

Among items on the agenda were the regular updates of the council’s finances.

The treasury management report showed how well council officers had managed the portfolio getting a 5.6% return on investments. However this is unlikely for the future where returns are liekly to be only about 1% leading to inevitable pressure on future budgets and council services. The capital expenditire report showed worrying slippages in projects meaning important projects such as refurbishments on Walworth Indusatrial Estate and improvements to the lifts and toilets in the Chantry centre are behind schedule. I was told that this work will be completed in the summer and I will monitor progress to ensure it is.

I joined Cllr Rod Bailey in questioning why the council had suddenly found a £1 million surplus. This was due to underspends and additional government funding which surely should have been known about before the very severe cuts implemented early this year. I was unable to get assurances that this money would be used to protect or improve essential services rather than just be squirreled away in the council’s savings accounts.