Agenda item

(a)          (Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report; and

(b)          To hold a recorded vote on the recommendations contained within the report, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rule 17.6 ‘Voting at Budget Decision Meetings’ which directs Members to comply with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting there must be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that meeting the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting.

“Budget decision” means a meeting at which:

(a)        a calculation is made (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of the Sections 31A, 31B, 34 to 36A, 42A, 42B, 45 to 49, 52ZF, 52ZJ of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended; or

(b)        a precept is issued under Chapter 4 of Part 1 of that Act,

and includes a meeting where making the calculation or issuing the precept as the case may be was included as an item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

References to a vote are references to a vote not only on the substantive budget motions agreeing the budget, setting council taxes or issuing precepts, but also on any amendments proposed at the meeting.

Councillor S Stavrou presented a report on the Budget and Council Tax Declaration for 2016/17.

Amendment moved by Councillor J Knapman and Seconded by Councillor C Whitbread

That recommendation (4) read;

“That the medium term financial forecast be approved as set out in Annexes 9 a and 9 b and as result there will be no increase in the District Council Tax for 2016/17;”

Carried

There voted for the recommendations: (35) namely: T Boyce, H Brady, W Breare-Hall, G Chambers, T Church, D Dorrell, R Gadsby, L Girling, A Grigg, L Hughes, B Jennings, H Kane, S Kane, P Keska, J Lea, M McEwen, R Morgan, S Murray, S Neville, A Patel, C C Pond, C P Pond, B Rolfe, M Sartin, G Shiell, D Stallan, S Stavrou, B Surtees, G Waller, E Webster, S Weston, C Whitbread, J H Whitehouse, J M Whitehouse and D Wixley.

There voted to abstain from the recommendations (6) namely: K Chana, J Knapman, A Lion, G Mohindra, C Roberts and L Wagland.

            RESOLVED:

(1)        That the list of CSB growth and savings for the 2016/17 budget (set out in  Annex 1 to these minutes) be approved;

(2)        That the list of District Development Fund items for the 2016/17 budget (set out in Annex 2) be approved;

(3)        That the revenue estimates for 2016/17 and the draft Capital Programme for 2016/17 be approved as set out in Annex 4, 5 (a-g) and 6 including all contributions to and from reserves as set out in the attached Annexes;

(4)        That the medium term financial forecast be approved as set out in Annexes 9 a and 9 b and as result there will be no increase in the District Council Tax for 2016/17;

(5)        That the 2016/17 HRA budget be approved on the basis that the contribution to the self-financing reserve has been suspended, and that the application of rent  decreases resulting in an average decrease of 1% from £97.54 to £96.56, be approved;

(6)        That the Council's policy of retaining revenue balances at no lower than £4.0M or 25% of the net budget requirement whichever is the higher for the four year period to 2018/19 be amended to no lower than £4.0M or 25% of the net budget requirement whichever is the higher during the four year period up to and including 2019/20;

(7)        That the report of the Chief Financial Officer on the robustness of the estimates for the purposes of the Council’s 2016/17 budgets and the adequacy of the reserves (see Annex 10) be noted.

Declaration of Council Tax

(8)        That it be noted that under delegated authority the Director of Resources, in consultation with the Finance Portfolio Holder, calculated the Council Tax Base 2016/17:

(a)        for the whole Council area as 52,257.8 (Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended); and

(b)        for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as set out below and in Annex 7.

         Tax Base

(9)        That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2016/17 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

(a)        £130,231,701 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils;

(b)        £119,183,219 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

(c)        £11,048,482 being the amount by which the aggregate at 9 (a) above exceeds the aggregate at 9 (b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax  requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act);

            (d)        £211.42 being the amount at 9 (c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (the amount at 8 (a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts);

(e)        £3,274,089 being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act (as per the attached Annex 7);

(f)        £148.77 being the amount at 9 (d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 9 (e) above by Item T (8 (a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates.

(10)      That it be noted that the County Council, the Police Authority and the Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each of the category of dwellings  in the Council’s area as shown in Annex 8 (attached);

(11)      That the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts in Annex 8 Part B (attached) as the amounts of Council Tax for 2016/17 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

(12)        That in accordance with section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, Council determines that the amount of Council Tax shown at (9) (f) of £148.77 for 2016/17, being unchanged from 2015/16 is not excessive and therefore there is no need to hold a local referendum.