Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED: Councillor Collingham was appointed Chair for the meeting.

RESOLVED: Councillor Devereux was appointed Vice Chair for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Beal and Gidney.

RESOLVED: The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

Those declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

There was none.

To consider any business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chair proposed to accept as urgent under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

There was none.

Councillors Kemp, Nockolds and Blunt.

There was none.

All Members have been invited to the meeting for this item of business.

Members will receive a presentation on the Budget and Capital Programme and are requested to make any appropriate recommendations to Cabinet.

Members are requested to read the Agenda for the Cabinet meeting on 9^th February 2022 once published, which will include the Cabinet Reports and Budget Papers.

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Members received a presentation on the Budget and Capital Programme from the Assistant Director (Section 151 Officer) as attached.

It was noted that the Budget and Capital Programme would be presented to Cabinet at its meeting on 9^th February 2022 and Full Council on 23^rd February 2022.

The presentation firstly covered the Revenue Budget and questions and comments were invited from Members on this element of the presentation.

Councillor Morley referred to the pie chart for the Council Tax claim, he suggested that the Internal Drainage Board levy be added and that it be communicated to council tax payers that the Council had no control over this levy.  He also referred to the West Norfolk Partnership and the budget that was attributed to this.  He asked for information on the projects they had carried out.

The Chair also commented that it was a disadvantage that the Borough had to pay an Internal Drainage Board levy and others did not and that it was a matter for Westminster.

The Assistant Director explained that the Council had lobbied on funding reforms and that Internal Drainage Boards should be considered separately.  The Council also engaged in relevant consultations and would update Members as appropriate.

With regard to the West Norfolk Partnership, the Assistant Director agreed to find out more information and feedback to Members.

Councillor Crofts explained that previously the Council used to get a percentage of Internal Drainage Board levies back from the Government and asked if this was still the case.  The Assistant Director explained that this previously came through the Revenue Support Grant, but now nothing came back to the Council.  She also made reference to the Revenue Support Grant and Rural Services Grant and that they were now only based on a one year settlement and would most probably not continue for much longer.

Councillor Moriarty explained that Internal Drainage Board levies had been an issue for a long time and asked if there was anything that could be done, especially as not all areas of the Borough benefitted from the Internal Drainage Board, but all of the Borough had to pay the levy.  He also made reference to the Business Rates Pool and Business Rates Reform and the announcement made today by Government about the £150 Council Tax rebate.  The Assistant Director explained that the Business Rates Pool had been revised and base lines reset and it was likely that the Borough would not benefit as much as it had previously from this.  The process for the Business Rates Pool had been revised and now instead of bidding for projects the Pool was split across Norfolk.

With regard to the £150 Council Tax rebate announced by Government, the arrangements for this were still unknown, but it was likely that a grant from Government would be received.

Councillor Dark, Leader of the Council explained to Members that work was ongoing to make the Internal Drainage  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.