Agenda item

Report of the Chief Finance Officer and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets on behalf of the Cabinet. Referred from Cabinet incorporating the recommendations from the Cabinet reports on:

·         General Fund Revenue Budget 2024-25 and Capital Programme

·         Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators 2024-25 Capital Strategy

·         Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Revenue Budget and Rent Setting 2024-25

·         Council Tax Discounts and Premiums 2024-25

Please note that the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Amendment) Regulations 2014 requires named votes to be taken and recorded when setting the annual budget and council tax, including on substantive motions and any amendments.

Councillor Nicholson moved and Councillor Sharkey seconded the proposals in the report of the Chief Finance Officer and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets on behalf of the Cabinet, incorporating the recommendations from the Cabinet reports on: 

·         General Fund Revenue Budget 2024-25 and Capital Programme

·         Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators 2024-25 Capital Strategy

·         Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Revenue Budget and Rent Setting 2024-25

·         Council Tax Discounts and Premiums 2024-25.

Councillor Nicholson presented the budget and set out the context for the proposals in terms of shared values of the last four years against the backdrop of a challenging national financial position of recession and high inflation, and the impact of the housing and homelessness crisis. She highlighted the investments the Council would be making in its key priorities around the local economy and wellbeing, essential works to assets in including leisure centres, play spaces, public toilets, investing in a low emissions waste fleet, investing in biodiversity and open spaces, retrofitting Council housing to make it more energy efficient, and continuing its 100% Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

The Council debated the budget and Councillors across the Council spoke in support and thanked the officers who had made it possible to have a balanced budget. Councillor Slater (as Cabinet Member for tenants and those in housing need) in particular thanked officers who had worked on the SHDF (Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund) bid over the Christmas period. 

In addition, Councillors spoke in the favour of the proposal also to replenish reserves, as a prudential and responsible Council.

In accordance with legislation, the vote was put to a recorded vote. The recommendations were approved unanimously as follows:

For: Councillors Agace, Alexander, Amy, Boniface, Brett, Carr, Clarkson, Clews, Cohen, Collier, Davies, Denis, Fabry, Francomb, Gallagher, Gauntlett, Hoareau, Honeyman, Keenan, Keene, Kortalla-Bird, MacCleary, Macleod, Makepeace, Maples, Mellor, Nicholson, O’Brien, O’Connor, Robinson, Saunders, Sharkey, Slater, Spiteri and von Kurthy.

Against: None

Abstentions: None

RESOLVED:

1.      To approve the recommendations as detailed in the reports from the Chief Finance Officer to Cabinet on 1 February 2024 as summarised below:

(i)        To approve the General Fund budget for 2023/24 (Revised) and 2024/25.  An increase in the Council Tax for Lewes District Council of 2.99% (including Special Expenses) resulting in a total Band D charge for of £228.17 for 2024/25. 

(ii)       To approve the revised General Fund capital programme 2024/25.

(iii)      To note the Section 151 Officer’s sign off as outlined in the Cabinet Report and at Appendix 1.

(iv)     To approve the Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy for 2024/25.

(v)      To approve the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy Statement for 2024/25.

(vi)     To approve the Prudential and Treasury Indicators for 2024/25 to 2026/2.

(vii)    To approve the Capital Strategy.

(viii)   To endorse the continuation of the Flexible use of Capital Receipts.

(ix)     To approve the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) income and expenditure proposals, including revised HRA budget for 2022/23 and the budget for 2023/24, rents and service charges and the HRA Capital Programme, including:

§   That social and affordable rents (including Shared Ownership) be increased by 7.7% in line with Government policy with effect from 1st April 2024.

§   To agree that, with effect from 1st April 2024, when social-rented properties are relet to new tenants, the applicable rent will be increased by 5% above target rent with effect from 1st April 2024.

§   That the revised service charges are implementedwith effect from 1st April 2024

§   That garage rents are increased by 6.7%.

(x)           To approve the Council Tax Discount and Premiums from 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2025.

2.      That delegated authority is given to the Chief Finance Officer to amend the budget for any presentational changes ensuring the Council Tax Requirement remains unchanged.

3.      That it be noted, that since the Cabinet meeting on 1 February the Business Rates return to the Government (NNDR1) has been finalised with no changes to the previous net budget assumptions.

4.      That the expenses incurred by the Council set out below be approved as Special Expenses chargeable to the residents of each of the Town/Parish areas indicated and that any other expenses (excluding local precepts) incurred by the Council be approved as general expenditure for the purposes of Section 35 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

5.      That consequent upon a General Fund budget of £8,793,451 and other matters, the basic amount (Band D) of Council Tax for the District Council's functions will be £228.77 calculated as follows:

The statutory resolutions relating to this matter are given at paragraphs 6 and 7 below.

6.      That it be noted that at its meeting on 2 February 2023 Cabinet approved the following calculations for the year 2023/24, being made in accordance with regulations made under Sections 31(B)(4) and 34(4) of the Local Government Act 1992, as amended:

a)    38,538.3 being the amount calculated by the Council, in accordance with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of the Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992, as amended, as its Council Tax Base for the year) Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992).

b)    The amounts calculated by the Council, in accordance with regulation 6 of the Regulations, as amended, as the amounts of its Council Tax base for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate can be found in Appendix 2 – Table A.

7.      That the following amounts be now1, calculated by the Council for the year 2023/24 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended:

8.      To note that East Sussex County Council, East Sussex Fire Authority and Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, for each category of dwellings in the Council’s area as indicated in Table E in Appendix 2.

9.      That having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 6 and 7 above, the Council, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the amounts as set out in Table F in Appendix 2, the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2024/25 for each of the categories of dwellings as shown in Table F (Appendix 2).

10.   To determine that the Council’s basic amount of Council Tax for 2024/25 is not excessive in accordance with the principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended.

11.   To note that, as the billing authority, the Council has not been notified by a major precepting authority that its relevant basic amount (and increase) of Council Tax for 2024/25 is excessive (as set out in Table G – Appendix 2) and that the billing authority is not required to hold a referendum in accordance with Section 52ZK Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended.