Agenda item

Council budget and setting of the council tax for 2016/17.

Report of Councillor Mattock on behalf of the Cabinet.

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

Minutes:

This matter was reported and proposed by Councillor Mattock on behalf of the Cabinet and seconded by Councillor Tutt. The Council considered the reports to Cabinet, as included in the draft budget book and also the Cabinet minutes and resolutions from the meeting held on 3 February 2016. The budget proposals were also reported to Scrutiny Committee on 1 February 2016 where no comments or proposals for change were made.

The Council expressed its thanks and appreciation to officers and in particular the work undertaken by the Chief Finance Officer and his team in the preparation of the draft budget.

Resolved: (By 15 votes to 0 with 9 abstentions) That approval be given to the following:

1. The recommendations as detailed in the reports from the Chief Finance Officer and the Senior Head of Community to Cabinet on 3 February 2016:

(i) The General Fund net expenditure for 2016/17 of £15,165,850 and the growth and savings proposals.

(ii) The charge for council tax for Eastbourne Borough Council Band D change to £228.51; an increase of 1.93%.

(iii) Housing Revenue Account (HRA) income and expenditure proposals, including revised HRA budget for 2015/16 and the budget for 2016/17, rents and service charges, arrangements for finalising Eastbourne Homes’ management fee and annual plan.

(iv) General Fund capital programme as set out in the report of the Chief Finance Officer.

(v) The Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators.

2. That consequent upon a General Fund budget of £15,165,850 and other matters, the basic amount (Band D) of Council Tax for the Borough Council's functions will be £228.51 calculated as follows:

	£’000	£’000
Gross Expenditure: General Fund HRA Business Rates payable to Government Total		85,105 15,696 10,120 110,921
Less Income: Service Income Government Formula Grant Other Government Grants Business Rates Income Collection Fund Surplus (Council Tax) Total COUNCIL TAX REQUIREMENT	(84,951) (1,752) (2,164) (14,191) (184)	(103,242) 7,679
Band ‘D’ Council Tax		£228.51

The statutory resolutions relating to this matter are given at paragraphs 3 and 4 below.

3. That it be noted that at its meeting on 9 December 2015 the Cabinet (in exercise of powers delegated to them by the Council) delegated the final determination of the Council Tax Base to the Chief Finance Officer. This has been set at an amount of 33,606.10 Band ‘D’ equivalent properties for the year 2016/17 (Item T in the formula in section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Localism Act 2011).

4. Calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2016/17 as £7,679,330.

5. That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Localism Act 2011:

(a)	£110,921,426	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act.
(b)	£103,242,096	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.
(c)	£7,679,330	being the amount by which the aggregate at 5(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 5(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).
(d)	£228.51	being the amount at 5(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (4 above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year.

6. To note that East Sussex County Council, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Authority and Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex 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 the table below.

7. That the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in the tables below as the amounts of Council Tax for 2016/17 for each of the categories of dwellings.

Valuation Bands

EASTBOURNE BOROUGH COUNCIL

A	£152.34	B	£177.73	C	£203.12	D	£228.51
E	£279.29	F	£330.07	G	£380.85	H	£457.02

EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

A	£834.60	B	£973.70	C	£1,112.80	D	£1,251.90
E	£1,530.10	F	£1,808.30	G	£2,086.50	H	£2,503.80

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER OF SUSSEX

A	£99.27	B	£115.82	C	£132.36	D	£148.91
E	£182.00	F	£215.09	G	£248.18	H	£297.82

EAST SUSSEX FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

A	£57.81	B	£67.45	C	£77.08	D	£86.72
E	£105.99	F	£125.26	G	£144.53	H	£173.44

AGGREGATE OF COUNCIL TAX REQUIREMENTS

A	£1,144.02	B	£1,334.70	C	£1,525.36	D	£1,716.04
E	£2,097.38	F	£2,478.72	G	£2,860.06	H	£3,432.08

8. That it be determined that the Council’s basic amount of Council Tax for 2016/17 is not excessive in accordance with the principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended.

NOTE: As the billing authority, the Council has not been notified by a major precepting authority that its relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2016/17 is excessive and that the billing authority is not required to hold a referendum in accordance with Section 52ZK of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended.

Named voting record for the resolutions at item 56 above:

For: Councillors Bannister, Choudhury, Hearn, Holt, Mattock, Miah, Murray, Rodohan, Sabri, Shuttleworth, Swansborough, Tester, Tutt, Ungar and Wallis.

Abstentions: The Mayor, Councillors Blakebrough, di Cara, Freebody, Jenkins, Murdoch, Smart, Smethers and Taylor.

Supporting documents: