Agenda item

Pursuant to Minute CAB104 : Financial Plan2021/2026of the Cabinet Meeting held on 9 February 2022, the “Financial Plan 2021/2026 and Council Tax Resolution 2022/2023” the document attached as a supplementary to the agenda for consideration and decision includes an updated summary of the Financial Plan 2021/2025, the County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner - Council Tax for 2022/2023 and details of Parish Precepts and Internal Drainage Boards levies for 2022/2023. 

 

NOTE:In accordance with Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 165, Local Government, England, The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, any decision taken on the Council’s Budget or Council Tax setting must be taken with a recorded vote

 

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Councillor Dickinson proposed the Financial Plan 2021/26 and Council Tax Resolution 2022/23.  In proposing the budget Councillor Dickinson thanked the S151 Officer and her team for the work involved in preparing the budget and papers which she considered were a pro-active approach to savings and income generation.  The proposed increase in Council Tax was £4.50 for a band D property, which was a 3.3% increase.  The budget was funded for years 1-3, with a shortfall in year 4.  She drew attention to the budget set aside for one off initiatives for income generation.  Councillor Dickinson drew attention to the fact that the recommendations 6 and 7 of the report were to note the updates capital programme and Treasury Management documents that were included later in the agenda.

 

Councillor Dark seconded the proposal.

 

Cllr Joyce, on behalf of the Labour Group proposed the following amendment to the budget, this was seconded by Councillor Jones who spoke in support of the amendment:

 

“Pursuant to Minute CAB 104 Financial Plan 2021/2026 of the Cabinet Meeting held on 9 February 2022 the Financial Plan 2021/2026 and Council Tax Resolution 2022/2023 with the following adjustments: 

 

·         Reduction of £390,000 of revenue contribution to the General Fund Reserve:

·         £100,000 to Alive West Norfolk to fund local young people free entry to venues during the school summer holidays

·         £50,000 to local Foodbanks

·         £50,000 to fund 3^rd sector organisations who combat domestic abuse and violence.

·         £100,000 to fund the recruitment of senior staff to the Planning Department and other departments.

·         £90,000 to a special reserve to enable recruitment of less senior staff.

·         £85,000 from the Communications Budget to fund special advice and support for businesses and residents to help combat climate change, and additional advice and support to local businesses.

·         £40,000 to fund a rats and mice pest control service free to homeowners.

·         £150,000 to fund free collection of bulky waste items. and to investigate and prosecute persistent fly-tippers and those who recklessly discard hypodermic needles. (Reallocation of funding in same Budget heading - not part of amendment only identification of funding source)

·         Funding to provide 100% Council Tax Support to all families who qualify for 84% (zero impact on revenue budget - not part of amendment only identification of funding source)”

 

Councillor Dickinson indicated that she did not accept the amendment.  Individual elements of the amendment were explained and spoken in support of by Councillors Hudson, Bone and S Collop. 

 

Council then debated the amendment, and Councillor Dickinson summed up the debate, drawing attention to the fact the in future years she would start the budget process earlier, going to members to bring forward suggestions. 

 

A recorded vote was taken on the amendment as follows:

 

For	Against	Abstain
F Bone	B Ayres	R Lawton
S Collop	L Bambridge	S Squire
A Holmes	J Bhondi
M Howland	R Blunt
C Hudson	C Bower
B Jones	A Bubb
C Joyce	J Collingham
A Kemp	C Crofts
J Lowe	S Dark
J Moriarty	I Devereux
S Nash	A Dickinson
J Ratcliff	P Gidney
J Rust	G Hipperson
A Ryves	H Humphrey
A Tyler	J Kirk
M de Whalley	P Kunes
M Wilkinson	A Lawrence
	C Manning
	G Middleton
	C Morley
	S Patel
	C Rose
	C Sampson
	S Sandell
	V Spikings
	M Storey
	D Tyler
	D Whitby
17	28	2

 

The amendment was lost.

 

 

Cllr Moriarty proposed the following amendment, which was seconded by Councillor Squire:

 

"The increase of over £160,000 for Communications shown on page 46, which shows a rise of some 60 per cent from £266,690 to £429,920, be reallocated to the Planning Department figures shown on pages 58 and 59 which feature a cut in real terms in staff resources.

 

The apportionment of this additional and much needed funding being delegated to the Cabinet Member for Development and Regeneration in consultation with the appropriate Executive Director."

 

Councillor Dickinson confirmed she did not accept the amendment.  Council debated the amendment.  This was summed up by Councillor Dickinson and put to a recorded vote as follows:

 

For	Against	Abstain
J Bhondi	B Ayres	C Morley
F Bone	L Bambridge	C Rose
S Collop	R Blunt
A Holmes	C Bower
M Howland	A Bubb
C Hudson	J Collingham
B Jones	C Crofts
C Joyce	S Dark
A Kemp	I Devereux
R Lawton	A Dickinson
J Moriarty	P Gidney
S Nash	G Hipperson
J Ratcliff	H Humphrey
J Rust	J Kirk
A Ryves	P Kunes
S Squire	A Lawrence
A Tyler	J Lowe
M de Whalley	C Manning
M Wilkinson	G Middleton
	S Patel
	C Sampson
	S Sandell
	V Spikings
	M Storey
	D Tyler
	D Whitby
19	26	2

 

The amendment was lost.

 

Councillor Kemp proposed the following amendment, seconded by Councillor de Whalley:

 

Affordable Energy for King's Lynn and West Norfolk

The Council will set up a company to produce affordable renewable energy to sell to West Norfolk residents to reduce fuel poverty and the District's Carbon footprint and provide a sustainable income stream for the Council. The company will consider Solar, Wind, Tidal and large-scale District Heat Pump and Air Source Technology to be sited in sustainable locations acceptable to the public.

 

Councillor Dickinson confirmed she did not accept the amendment.  Council then debated the amendment which was summed up by Councillor Dickinson.  The amendment was put to a recorded vote as follows:

 

For	Against	Abstain
F Bone	B Ayres	J Moriarty
S Collop	L Bambridge	C Rose
A Holmes	J Bhondi	S Squire
M Howland	R Blunt
C Hudson	C Bower
B Jones	A Bubb
C Joyce	J Collingham
A Kemp	C Crofts
J Lowe	S Dark
S Nash	I Devereux
J Ratcliff	A Dickinson
J Rust	P Gidney
A Tyler	G Hipperson
M de Whalley	H Humphrey
M Wilkinson	J Kirk
	P Kunes
	A Lawrence
	R Lawton
	C Manning
	G Middleton
	C Morley
	S Patel
	A Ryves
	C Sampson
	S Sandell
	V Spikings
	M Storey
	D Tyler
	D Whitby
15	29	3

 

The amendment was lost.

 

Councillor Kemp proposed the following amendment which was seconded by Councillor Moriarty.

 

Pest Control Service 

Building on the success of the handyman service for vulnerable residents and bearing in mind that Lynn is built on a river delta susceptible to rodent activity, the Borough Council will provide a free pest control service to households in the Borough, in accordance with its corporate objectives to create healthy communities and to improve West Norfolk as a place to live. 

 

Councillor Dickinson confirmed she did not accept the amendment.  Council then debated the amendment which was summed up by Councillor Dickinson.  The amendment was put to a recorded vote as follows:

 

For	Against	Abstain
F Bone	B Ayres	J Bhondi
S Collop	L Bambridge	R Lawton
A Holmes	R Blunt	C Morley
M Howland	C Bower	S Squire
C Hudson	A Bubb	M de Whalley
B Jones	J Collingham
C Joyce	C Crofts
A Kemp	S Dark
J Lowe	I Devereux
J Moriarty	A Dickinson
S Nash	P Gidney
J Ratcliff	G Hipperson
C Rose	H Humphrey
J Rust	J Kirk
A Ryves	P Kunes
A Tyler	A Lawrence
M Wilkinson	C Manning
	G Middleton
	S Patel
	C Sampson
	S Sandell
	V Spikings
	M Storey
	D Tyler
	D Whitby
17	25	5

 

The amendment was lost.

 

At 6.40pm Council adjourned for 10 minutes.

 

Council then debated the substantive motion, which was summed up by Councillor Dickinson.  The substantive motion was put to a recorded vote as follows:

 

For	Against	Abstain
B Ayres	S Collop	J Bhondi
L Bambridge	A Holmes	F Bone
R Blunt	M Howland	R Lawton
C Bower	C Hudson	J Lowe
A Bubb	C Joyce	M de Whalley
J Collingham	A Kemp
C Crofts	S Nash
S Dark	J Rust
I Devereux	A Ryves
A Dickinson	M Wilkinson
P Gidney
G Hipperson
H Humphrey
J Kirk
P Kunes
A Lawrence
C Manning
G Middleton
C Morley
S Patel
J Ratcliff
C Rose
C Sampson
S Sandell
S Squire
V Spikings
M Storey
D Tyler
D Whitby
29	10	5

 

The substantive motion was carried.

 

RESOLVED:  1)         That the revision to the Budget for 2021/2022 (as set out in Appendix 1 of the report) be approved.

 

2)        that the Policy on Earmarked Reserves and General Fund Working Balance and the maximum balances set for the reserves as detailed in Appendix 7 of “The Financial Plan 2021/2026” as reported to Cabinet on 9 February 2022 be reaffirmed.

 

3)            That the budget of £21,555,060 for 2022/2023 be approved and the projections for 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 (as set out in Appendix 1 of the report) be noted.

 

4)            That the Fees and Charges for 2022/2023 as detailed in Appendix 6 of the report be approved.

 

 

5)            That a minimum requirement of the General Fund balance for 2022/2023 of £1,077,750 be approved.

 

6)            That the update to the Capital Programme 2021/2026 as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report be approved.

 

7)            That the update to the Treasury Management Strategy 2022/2023 as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report be approved.

 

8)            That the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012 contain rules for the calculation of the Council Tax Base, which is an amount required by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to be used in the calculation of the tax by the Council as the billing authority, and Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner as major precepting authorities, and in the calculation of the precept payable by the Council to the County Council and Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner.  Under Officer Delegated Decision the Council Tax Base was calculated as follows for the year 2022/2023:

 

Number of dwellings in each Council Tax band; taking into account the multipliers, discounts, exemptions, rate of collection and Council Tax Support.

 

(a)    52,611              being the amount calculated by the Council, in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, as its Council Tax Base for the year.

 

The tax base for each Parish

 

(b)       the amounts listed in Appendix 7 of the report, (Column headed - Taxbase) being the amounts calculated by the Council, in accordance with Regulation 6 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, as the amount of its Council Taxbase for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

 

9)         That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2022/2023 in accordance with Sections 31A to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended by S74 of the Localism Act 2011):

 

Total expenditure

 

(a)  £98,316,810      being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) (a) to (f) of the Act. (See Appendix 2 of the report).

           

Total income

 

(b)  £87,269,670     being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) (a) to (d) of the Act. (See Appendix 2 of the report).

 

The difference between expenditure and income

 

(c)   £11,047,140     being the amount by which the aggregate at 8(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 8(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its total budget for the year. (See Appendix 2 of the report).

 

Average Council Tax for Band D property (Borough and Parish)

 

(d)     £209.98              being the amount at 8(c) above divided by the amount at 7(a) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year.

 

The total of Parish Precepts and Special Expenses

 

(e)                                 £3,714,740  being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act.

 

The Borough Council’s Council Tax for a Band D property (excluding Parish Precepts and Special Expenses)

 

(f)(1)    £139.37          being the amount at 8(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 8(e) above by the amount at 7(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 special item relates.

 

The Borough Council’s Council Tax for each valuation band

 

(f)(2)

 

A              B                  C                D                 E            F              G                H

 

£92.91      £ 108.40     £ 123.88     £ 139.37  £ 170.34     £ 201.31    £ 232.28  £278.74                  

 

The Borough, Special Expenses and Parish Councils’ Council Tax for a Band D property in each Parish

 

(g)                           the amounts listed in Col (4), Appendix 8 of the report Special Expenses and Appendix 9 Parish Precepts, when added to the amount at 8 (f)(1) above being the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area mentioned divided in each case by the taxbases in Appendix 7 of the report calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(3) of the Act, gives the basic amounts of its Council Tax for the year for dwelling in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

 

The Borough and Parish Councils’ Council Tax for each tax band in each Parish

 

(h)                               the amounts listed in Cols (1) to (8), Appendix 8 of the report Special Expenses and Appendix 9 of the report Parish Precepts, together with the amounts shown above in 8(f)(2) as valuation bands A to H - being the amounts given by multiplying the amounts at 8(g) 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 of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

 

 

10)         That it be noted that for the year 2022/2023 Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner 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 of dwellings shown below:

                       

 

 

The total Council Tax for each band in each parish (Appendix 10 of the report)

 

11)      That, having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 8(h) and 9 above, the Council, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets these as the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2022/2023 for each of the categories of dwellings shown be approved.

 

12)      That the Assistant Director Resources (S151 Officer), Revenues and Benefits Manager, Revenues Manager, Revenues Team Leaders, Committal Manager, Committal Officer, Non-Domestic Rates Officer, Generic Revenues and Benefits Officers, Revenues Officers and Revenues Assistants be authorised to demand and recover, in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council Tax set by this resolution, the Non Domestic Rates payable by Ratepayers and the annual Business Improvement District Levy, and be authorised to appear on behalf of the Council in Magistrates’ Courts in respect of recovery proceedings.

 

13)      That the Officers be authorised to give notice of the setting of the Council Tax in accordance with Section 96 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

 

 

At 7.30pm. Councillor Lawton proposed that Council continue to sit for a further hour.  This was seconded by Councillor Dark and on being put to the vote was carried.