Budget transfer from Central Contingencies to Bailiff Chambers: Liberation Day: Celebrations

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A decision made 6 October 2017:

Decision Reference: MD-TR-2017-0099
Decision Summary Title:	Central Contingency Funding – Liberation Day		Date of Decision Summary:	18th July 2017
Decision Summary Author:	Head of Decision Support		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title:	Central Contingency Funding – Liberation Day		Date of Written Report:	18th July 2017
Written Report Author:	Finance Manager, Corporate Group		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Central Contingency funding for Liberation Day event to the Bailiff’s Chambers to provide certainty over full funding of the event in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Decision(s): The Minister approved the non-recurring transfers in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year from Central Contingencies to the Bailiff Chambers revenue head of expenditure for costs associated with the annual Liberation Day celebrations.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 17(2) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that the Minister for Treasury and Resources is authorised to approve the transfer from contingency expenditure or the insurance fund of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year. The current Contingency Allocation Policy (published as R.110/2017) sets the requirement for all allocations from Contingency over £100,000 to be considered by the Council of Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval. This request was originally made before that policy was revised. On 7th December 2016, the Council of Ministers agreed to the request to approve non-recurring funding in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year from Central Contingencies to the Bailiff’s Chambers for the full costs associated with the Liberation Day celebrations.
Resource Implications: The Bailiff Chambers’ revenue head of expenditure to increase by up to £46,000 in each of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 and Central Contingencies to decrease by an identical amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for the period of the current MTFP 2017 to 2019.
Action required: The Head of Decision Support to notify the Finance Manager, Corporate Group that the decision has been approved.
Signature:		Position: Senator A J H Maclean, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Budget transfer from Central Contingencies to Bailiff Chambers: Liberation Day: Celebrations

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Treasury and Resources

Ministerial Decision Report

CENTRAL CONTINGENCY - FUNDING LIBERATION DAY

Purpose of Report

Request for Central Contingency funding for Liberation Day event to the Bailiff’s Chambers to provide certainty over full funding of the event in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year.

2. Background

In recent years the Bailiff’s Chambers have managed the Liberation Day event which has been funded from its own budget supplemented from the budget allocated to Jersey Tourism, then part of Economic Development Department. Jersey Tourism was replaced by Visit Jersey in 2015 following Economic Development’s transition into Economic Development, Sports and Culture. The budget element allocated from Jersey Tourism was no longer available.

Despite the loss of previous funding from the old Jersey Tourism budget, it was felt the arrangements and infrastructure of previous years needed to be maintained. This included finding the additional resource for the morning event to be retained at the level of the arrangements made for 2014. In particular, the big screens were seen as a necessity for the public attending the event.

Over the last four years expenditure on typical Liberation Day events has increased by an average of 8 percent per annum

On 7th December 2016, the Council of Ministers agreed to the request to request non-recurring funding in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year from Central Contingencies for the Bailiff’s Chambers for the full costs associated with the Liberation Day celebrations.

3. Requirement

The current budget of £53,000 held by the Bailiff’s Chambers for Liberation Day is made up of:

£25,000 original departmental base budget allocated to Liberation Day

£28,000 additional funding allocated within departmental base budget

Actual spend for Liberation Day 2016 totaled £98,517 leaving a £45,517 shortfall which was, in 2016, absorbed by other underspends within Bailiff’s Chambers. However, these underspends are unlikely to be repeated over the remainder of the MTFP and therefore additional funding of up to a maximum £46,000 for 2017, 2018 and 2019 is requested from Central Contingency to ensure the event is maintained at 2016 levels.

Fixing at this maximum amount would reflect the savings initiative of non-staff inflation increases being withdrawn from budgets across States departments but give certainty to Bailiff’s Chambers so that it may organise the next three events appropriately.

As at 15th September 2017 the Bailiff’s Chambers shows a current spend for the one main event of the 2017 Liberation celebrations of £104,426.83. A breakdown of the actual costs is detailed below:

Event Management

(security, cleaning and administration) £33,272

Main Event – Liberation Square and the Weighbridge

(marquee, entertainment, refreshments and

televising of the event) £71,155

£104,427

Should the Bailiff’s Chambers be able to absorb these costs either in part or in full by other underspends within their original departmental base budget in any of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 a partial or nil drawdown will be actioned.

Bailiff’s Chambers will submit an appropriate growth bid to secure Liberation Day Funding from 2020 onwards noting any enhanced event requirements.

4. Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to approve the non-recurring budget transfers in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year from Central Contingencies to the Bailiff Chambers revenue head of expenditure for costs associated with the annual Liberation Day celebrations.

5. Reason for Decision

Article 17(2) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2005 states that the Minister for Treasury and Resources is authorised to approve the transfer from contingency expenditure or the insurance fund of amounts not exceeding, in total, the amount available for contingency expenditure in a financial year.

The current Contingency Allocation Policy (published as R.110/2017) sets the requirement for all allocations from Contingency to be considered by the Council of Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval. This request was originally made before that policy was revised.

On 7th December 2016, the Council of Ministers agreed to the request to recommend non-recurring funding in 2017, 2018 and 2019 of up to £46,000 in each year from Central Contingencies to the Bailiff Chambers for the full costs associated with the Liberation Day celebrations.

6. Resource Implications

The Bailiff Chambers revenue head of expenditure to increase by up to £46,000 in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and Central Contingencies to decrease by an identical amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States for the period of the current MTFP 2017 to 2019.

Report author : Finance Manager, Corporate Group	Document date: 26th September 2017
Quality Assurance / Review : Head of Decision Support	File name and path: L:\Treasury\Sections\Corporate Finance\Ministerial Decisions\DS, WR and SD\2017-0099 - Contingency funding for Liberation Day
MD sponsor : Director of Financial Planning and Performance