Agenda item

Report of the Leader of the Council (Cllr Henderson).

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 17 February 2021, 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/documents/s11475/Cabinet-170221%20Report%20inc%20Appendix%201%20start.pdf

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Henderson) submitted a report to determine the Council Tax for the Borough for the 2021/22 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 17 February 2021. The minute detailing the Cabinet’s recommendations was set out in Appendix 1 of his report to this Council meeting.

The Resources Portfolio Holder (Cllr A Vincent) seconded Cllr Henderson’s proposal that the recommendations made by the Cabinet be approved.

Cllr Fail proposed and Cllr Beavers seconded the following amendment, that the formal Council Tax resolution as agreed by Cabinet on 17 February 2021, as set out in Appendix 1, be agreed with 3 additional changes:

1       Fees & Charges: Car Parking Charge for Blue Badge Holders

That the previous decision to charge for parking in blue badge holder spaces be reversed.

The reduction in annual revenue is predicted to be £5000 (£480k instead of £485k estimated revenue for 2021/22). Based on an assumption that revenue would be the same as 2019/20 (when blue badge holders weren't charged).

2       Fees & Charges: Green Waste Subscription

That the decision for the green waste subscription to be increased from £30 to £35 for those paying by Direct Debit be adjusted.

Instead, and irrespective of payment method, the cost of a green bin (including additional ones) be a standard charge of £32.

Whilst the amendment would result in a £58,500 reduction to the estimated annual revenue (£771.5k instead of £830k), it would still result in an increase in revenue of approximately £20k compared to 2020/21 estimate.

3       Fees & Charges: Care & Repair (minor adaptations)

That the decision to increase charges from £10 per job to £30 per hour be reversed.

The reduction in annual revenue is predicted to be £6000 (£6k instead of £12k estimated revenue for 2021/22).

The following members voted for the amendment: Councillors Armstrong, Beavers, B Birch, Fail, Longton, Raynor, Smith, Stirzaker and Swales.

The following members voted against the amendment: Councillors I Amos, R Amos, Lady D Atkins, Sir R Atkins, Ballard, Baxter, Berry, C Birch, Bowen, Bridge, Cartridge, Catterall, Cropper, E Ellison, P Ellison, Fairbanks, George, Gerrard, Henderson, Holden, Ibison, Ingham, Le Marinel, Leech, McKay, Minto, Moon, O’Neill, Orme, Robinson, A Turner, S Turner, A Vincent, Matthew Vincent, Michael Vincent, D Walmsley, L Walmsley, Webster and Williams. The amendment was therefore lost (by 9 votes to 39).

A vote was then taken on the Cabinet’s recommendations on the budget for 2021/22 and on the level of Council Tax as set out in paragraphs 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 of the Leader’s report.

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

The following members voted against the proposal: Councillors Armstrong, Beavers, Fail, George, Longton, Raynor, Smith, Stirzaker and Swales. The proposal was therefore carried (by 39 votes to 9).

Agreed:

1. That the formal Council Tax resolution as agreed by Cabinet on 17 February 2021, as set out in Appendix 1 of the Leader’s report and attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes, be approved.

2. That this Council’s Band D equivalent Council Tax for the 2021/22 financial year of £209.74 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 2021/22 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 amounts set as the Council Tax for the year 2021/22 for each part of the Wyre area and for each of the categories of dwellings were as shown in Table C of Appendix 2 to these minutes.