Issue - meetings

To consider fees and charges for the financial year 2015-16 for recommendation to Council.

The Committee considered a report setting out the proposed Fees and Charges for the Council’s chargeable services for 2015/16.  Members also considered with the report the minute and recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s meeting on 21st October 2014, which had been circulated as Additional Papers, in relation to the pre-scrutiny of the Fees and Charges report.

Officers reported that an overall 3% increase in fees and charges would be achieved through approval of the proposals, and that the income target for the year had been increased by 97k when compared to the previous year.  All fees and charges, save for those where an invoice had already been raised covering the last quarter of the financial year or where there was a contractual period preventing this, would take effect from 1st January 2015.  Exceptionally, the Palace Theatre charges would take effect from 2016/17 as booking arrangements for the Theatre were made significantly far ahead. 

It was noted that some charges did not represent a 3% increase as benchmarking with other local authorities had been undertaken and some rounding up or down of figures applied for ease, for example with cash handling at leisure centres.  Some new charges had also been introduced, for example, Knowledge Tests for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles and Deeds of Variation under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.  In relation to Building Control, the number of requests from customers for local authorities to provide project specific quotations on request was rising rapidly.  As such it was proposed to continue with the provision of site specific fees in accordance with the relevant regulations in those fee categories previously affected and to raise other specific declared fees by at least 3%.

Officers provided a number of clarifications to questions raised on the fees and charges.

Members discussed the minute and recommendations arising from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 21st October 2014, and a debate ensued on whether the rate for Junior Swimming Lessons should be subject to increase.  The recommendation from Overview and Scrutiny for the rate for Junior Swimming Lessons to remain at the current 2014/15 rate (part 1 of the recommendation) was not supported by the majority of the Committee.  Part 2 of the recommendation formed part of the original recommendation detailed in the Fees and Charges report which was carried.  

It was noted that whilst free swimming was available for the under 16’s and over 60’s this only applied to residents who lived within the Borough and who had registered for this.  As such, a charge appeared in the schedule for those under 16’s/over 60’s who did not fall within those categories.

The current high occupancy levels for swimming lessons, particularly those for beginner classes, were noted, as was the fact that the Council’s charges were lower than many other authorities, with concessions also applying.  

RECOMMENDED that

1)        the fees and charges for 2015/16 as set out in Appendices 1- 9 to the report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47