Agenda item

The Council gave consideration to the report (at pages 51 - 54) as delivered and summarised by the Interim Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) which should be read together with these minutes as a composite document.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer reiterated that the proposed increase in Council Tax for 2017/18 was predicated on the aforementioned requirement(s) incumbent upon Council to make a total of c. £1.4m efficiency savings by 2020 (Min. Ref. 76). The average Council Tax (Band D) for 2017/18 (including all precepts) was reported to be 3.47% representing an increase of approximately £55.00 per annum: this was said to translate into an approximate increase receipted to this Council of £5.00 per annum.

It was reported that Oadby and Wigston Borough Council could not set its own Council Tax (or Budget) for 2017/18 until: Leicestershire County Council (LCC) had first set their own precept at its meeting which was held on 22 February; the (late) announcement of the Government’s Financial Settlement for this Council on 20 February. In respect of the latter, it was reported that a small, but immaterial, adjustment to the Council’s receipt of NHB’s was confirmed by the announcement

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor M H Charlesworth, announced that LCC had resolved a last minute adjustment to its budget in terms of the withdrawal of a £1.3bn transport provision which LCC sought to re-claw through precept collections via the seven Borough and District authorities upon the erroneous assumption that taxes and rates were not being presently collected to their fullest extent.

The Deputy Leader requested that the collection rates for the seven Borough and District authorities be compiled in a composite document and forwarded to Members.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer stated that the County Treasurer had written to all Leicestershire authorities on the same matter, who advised that if any one authority was able to collect at the national average rate for local government, a small proportion would be passported back out to that authority. He confirmed that the collection rate for this Council was significantly above average and the second best in Leicestershire.

Councillor Mrs S B Morris moved the recommendations en bloc as set out at paragraphs 2.1 to 2.5 of the report (at pages 51 - 22).

Councillor D A Gamble seconded the recommendations.

RESOLVED THAT:

(i)        It be noted that under powers delegated to the Chief Financial Officer, the Council has calculated the amount of 17,155.70 as its Council Tax base for the financial year 2017/18 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012;

(ii)       It be noted the Council Tax Requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2017/18 is £3,630,690;

(iii)      The following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2017/18 in accordance with sections 30 to 306 (as amended) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

(a)       £18,200,300 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31 A (2) of the Act;

(b)       £14,569,610 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31 A (3) of the Act;

(c)       £3,630,690 being the amount by which the aggregate at 3 a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3 b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31 A (4) of the Act, as its Council Tax Requirement for the year;

(d)       £211.63 being the amount at 3 c) divided by the amount a 1 above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31 B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year;

(e)       Valuation Bands

Being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at (iii)(d) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5 (1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation Band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 36 (1) of the Act, as the amount to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

(iv)      Precepting Authorities - Valuation Bands

It be noted that for the year 2017/18, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire, and the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council, in accordance with section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories shown below and that Leicestershire County Council have indicated that their provisional precept will be confirmed on 22 February 2017.

(v)       Having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at (iii)(e) and (iv) above, the Council, in accordance with section 30 (2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the following amounts as the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2017/18 for each of the categories of dwellings shown below.

Valuation Bands

In accordance with Regulation 2 of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the names of the persons who casted a vote for the motion or against the motion or who abstained from voting were recorded as follows:-

Votes For                   L A Bentley

(17)                              G A Boutler

                                    J W Boyce

                                    Mrs L M Broadley

                                    F S Broadley

                                    D M Carter

                                    Ms K M Chalk

                                    M H Charlesworth

                                    M L Darr

                                    Mrs L Eaton

                                    R F Eaton

                                    D A Gamble

                                    Mrs S Z Haq

                                    J Kaufman

                                    K J Loydall

                                    R E R Morris

                                    Mrs S B Morris           

Votes Against            None

(0)                               

Abstentions               G S Atwal

(1)