Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 27 January 2022.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Henderson, proposed and the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Michael Vincent, seconded that the minutes of the meeting of the full Council held on 27 January 2022 be confirmed as a correct record.

It was agreed (unanimously) that the minutes of the full Council meeting held on 27 January 2022 be confirmed as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of interest from any Member on any item on this agenda.

None.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor, Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader of the Council, Members of the Cabinet, a Chairman of a Committee or the Chief Executive.

The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council to say a few words in memory of Councillor Rita Amos. This was followed by tributes from the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Michael Vincent, the Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Rob Fail and Honorary Alderman, John Hodgkinson.

Councillor Andrea Kay held a collection in aid of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public under Procedure Rule 9.1.

None received.

To receive any questions from Members of the Council to the Mayor, a member of the Cabinet or the Chairman of a Committee under Council Procedure Rule 12.1.

None received.

Report of Councillor Michael Vincent, Resources Portfolio Holder and Clare James, Corporate Director Resources.

The Resources Portfolio Holder, Councillor Michael Vincent, and the Corporate Director Resources, Clare James submitted a report for the approval of the amendment to the LCTS Scheme for the 2022/23 financial year agreed at the Full Council on 28 October 2021.

Councillor Henderson proposed, Councillor Michael Vincent seconded and it was agreed (unanimously) that the LCTS Scheme for the 2022/23 financial year agreed at the Full Council meeting on 28 October 2021, be amended to reflect the requirement to disregard the £150 Energy Bill Rebate when calculating entitlement to LCTS. This was in accordance with amendments to the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012.

Report of Councillor David Henderson, Leader of the Council and Clare James, Corporate Director Resources.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Henderson, and the Chief Executive, Garry Payne, submitted a report on the council’s Pay Policy Statement 2022/23.

Councillor Henderson proposed, Councillor Michael Vincent, seconded and it was agreed (unanimously) that members noted and approved the Pay Policy Statement in respect of 2022/23, which was attached at Appendix A of the report.

Report of Councillor David Henderson, Leader of the Council and Garry Payne, Chief Executive.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Henderson and the Chief Executive, Garry Payne submitted a report seeking approval of the Council’s Business Plan for 2019 – 2023 (updated for 2022).

Councillor Henderson proposed, Councillor Michael Vincent seconded and it was agreed (by 32 votes to 7) that the council’s Business Plan for 2019 – 2023 (updated for 2022) be approved.

Report of Councillor David Henderson, Leader of the Council.

Please note: The report of the Corporate Director Resources (Section 151 Officer) on the Council’s Revenue Budget, Council Tax and Capital Programme, which was considered by the Cabinet on 16 February 2022, forms part of the background to the attached report of the Leader of the Council, with paragraph 3.1 seeking Council agreement to the recommendations of the Cabinet. An extract from the minutes of that meeting, setting out the Cabinet’s recommendations, is attached as Appendix 1 of the Leader of the Council’s report to this meeting. However, the detailed information from the report of the Corporate Director Resources to the Cabinet is not reproduced in this agenda. That report can be viewed via the Cabinet agenda on the Council’s website at:

https://wyre.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=136&MId=1391&Ver=4

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Henderson, submitted a report to determine the Council Tax for the Borough for the 2022/23 financial year. His report included reference to the report of the Resources Portfolio Holder and Corporate Director Resources and Section 151 Officer, which had been considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 16 February 2022. The minute detailing the Cabinet’s recommendations was set out in Appendix 1 of his report to this Council meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor Henderson and seconded by Councillor Michael Vincent that the recommendations made by the Cabinet be approved.

Following discussions, a vote was taken on the Cabinet’s recommendations on the budget for 2022/23 and on the level of Council Tax as set out in 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 of the Leader’s report.

The following members voted in support of the proposal: Councillors Lady D Atkins, Sir R Atkins, Ballard, Baxter, B Birch, Bowen, Bridge, Cartridge, Catterall, Collinson, E Ellison, P Ellison, Fairbanks, Gerrard, Henderson, Ibison, Ingham, Kay, Leech, McKay, Minto, Moon, O’Neill, Orme, Robinson, A Turner, S Turner, A Vincent, Matthew Vincent, Michael Vincent, D Walmsley and L Walmsley.

The following members voted against the proposal: Councillors Beavers, Fail, Longton, Raynor, Smith, Stirzaker and Swales.

Agreed:

1.    That the formal Council Tax resolution as agreed by Cabinet 16 February 2022, as set out in Appendix 1 to these minutes, be approved.

2.    That this Council’s Band D equivalent Council Tax for the 2022/23 financial year of £214.74 together with parish precepts, as submitted in the report on the Budget, be approved for each of the valuation bands, as set out in Table A of Appendix 2 to these minutes.

3.    That it be noted that for the year 2022/23 the major precepting authorities have stated the following amounts in precepts, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings in the Council’s area, as shown in Table B of Appendix 2 of these minutes.

4.    That, having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 2 and 3 above, and in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the following amounts are set as the Council Tax for the year 2022/23 for each part of its areas for each of the categories of dwellings were, as shown in Table C of Appendix 2 to these minutes.

None.

None.