Agenda item

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The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Morley introduced the item, and the Assistant Director for Resources and Deputy Section 151 Officer presented the report and highlighted the key areas.

The Chair thanked the Assistant Director for Resources and Deputy Section 151 Officer for the report and invited questions and comments from the Panel as summarised below.

Councillor Jones referred to Appendix 2f on page 84 of the report and noted that the projected total service cost for refuse and recycling in 2026–27 had decreased.  Councillor Jones asked whether a portion of the government grant could be used to introduce a free bulky household waste collection service alongside the existing paid service.  The Leader, Councillor Beales, advised that this would constitute a budget amendment and was subject to a separate process.  He confirmed that the Section 151 Officer would examine the proposal and report back in detail.

In response to questions from Councillor Kemp, the Leader, Councillor Beales explained that savings had been identified and advised that they were not expected to directly impact services.  With regards to the ferry, the Leader, Councillor Beales explained a detailed report was under consideration and would be brought forward in due course with recommendations to go through the scrutiny process and would be considered as an amendment to the capital programme.

In response to a question from the Chair, Councillor Long, the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Morley, explained that officers had reviewed various elements to identify savings.  He added that they had examined different services and income streams and had identified potential new services that would be beneficial.

Councillor Ryves asked why the proposed £25?million cost for St James’ and Lynnsport was not included in the capital programme.  The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Morley, advised that once further work on the business case had been completed and the project was shown to be viable, it would be added to the capital programme.

Councillor Collop referred to fees and charges and noted that the brown bin service had increased by 20% and was due to rise again to £81.00, which she felt was unfair on residents.  The Leader, Councillor Beales, explained that to protect services, the Council had to draw income from all available sources.  He acknowledged that it had not been an easy decision.

In response to a comment from the Chair, Councillor Long, Members confirmed that the brown bin service could be paid monthly by direct debit.

Councillor Parish referred to fees and charges and commented on car parking charges in Heacham. The Leader, Councillor Beales, reported that he had met with Councillor Parish and the Chief Executive and had analysed market data, which would be reported back to Heacham Parish Council.

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Business, Councillor Ring, reported that a review of winter parking was underway and that officers had been working with the external contractor to make the necessary adjustments.

Councillor Collingham commented that it was unfortunate the Borough Council did not offer an annual parking pass allowing residents to pay a single fee and park in any Council?controlled car park.  The Leader, Councillor Beales, advised that the points raised regarding parking charges would be reviewed by the relevant Portfolio Holder.

The Chief of Staff and Monitoring Officer presented the annual pay policy statement and highlighted the key areas.

RESOLVED: The Joint Panel supported the following recommendations to Cabinet:

Recommendation 1: It is recommended that Council note the revision to the Forecast for 2025/2026 as set out in Section 2 of the report.

Recommendation 2: It is recommended that Council delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, to approve the contract for the appointment of a strategic partner to implement Local Government Reorganisation (Paragraph 4.1.2).

Recommendation 3: It is recommended that Council approves the amendments to the Fees and Charges Policy explained in paragraph 4.3.2 and proposed in Appendix 4b.

Recommendation 4: Council is recommended to approve the Policy on Earmarked Reserves and General Fund Balance and the maximum balances set for the reserves as noted in the report and at Appendix 8.

Recommendation 5: It is recommended that Council:

1)    Approves the budget requirement of £24,475,309 for 2026/2027 and notes the projections for 2027/2028, 2028/2029 and 2029/2030.

2)    Approves the Fees and Charges 2026/2027 detailed in Appendix 4a.

3)    Approves the Pay Policy at Appendix 5.

4)    Approves the level of Special Expenses for the Town/Parish Councils as detailed in the report (Appendix 7).

5)    Approves a Band D council tax of £157.44 for 2026/2027.

Recommendation 6: It is recommended that Council approves a minimum requirement of the General Fund balance for 2026/2027 of £1,273,890 (5% of estimated budget requirement).

Recommendation 7: Pursuant to Section 25 of the Local Government Act, Council is asked to have due regard to this statement at Section 9 of this report when considering and approving the budget and the level of council tax for 2026/2027.