Issue - meetings

Members considered recommendations that had been agreed at the meetings of the Executive Committee held on 5^th December 2023 and 9^th January 2024.

Finance and Performance Quarter 2 Report 2023/24

Council considered bringing forward a capital sum to improve the resilience of the Council’s IT system for dealing with cyber security. 

Redditch Borough Council Planning Enforcement Policy

The Council’s Enforcement Policy had been updated in accordance with national guidance, best enforcement practice and to provide greater clarity and transparency on expectations, processes and limitations in relation to the Council’s role.  Members spoke in support of the new Policy and the Leader commended the flow chart in the Policy for setting out the process involved.

Council Tax Base and Non-Domestic Rates Yield

The Council considered details of the calculation of the tax base for council tax setting purposes. The calculation of the council tax base was required as part of the determination of the council tax for 2024/25.

Council Tax – Discretionary Council Tax Reduction Policy – Council Section 13A1(C) Policy

The Council had the power under The Local Government Finance Act 1992 (LGFA ’92) to reduce the amount of council tax that a person was liable to pay. The section 13A(1)(C) power could be exercised on a case-by-case basis or by determining a class of case in which the liability would be reduced.

Examples of where the Council exercised the discretionary power included providing a discount to Worcestershire County Council care leavers resident within the district and following a severe weather event such as flooding.

Council Tax Empty Homes Discounts and Premiums

Council Tax was introduced on 1st April 1993 and from this date until 1st April 2004 dwellings in England which were unoccupied were eligible for a council tax discount of 50%.

A series of amendments to council tax legislation, made since 2004, had given billing authorities the power to reduce or remove the discount for unoccupied dwellings and, in the case of long-term empty homes, to impose a council tax premium. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 had introduced further changes to the discount and premiums for unoccupied homes, the main one being to reduce the length of time, from 2 years to 1 year, the period for which a dwelling must be vacant before it was classed as a long-term empty dwelling.  Billing authorities also had discretion to apply premiums up to 100%.

The amendment to the legislation meant that, from 1st April 2024, the premium would be applied to all dwellings that had been vacant for 12 months or more. Members spoke in favour of the approach as being a tool to encourage homes being brought back into use.

The meeting was adjourned at 21.06 and resumed at 21.18.

Final Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2024-25

The Council was required by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to make a council tax reduction scheme specifying the reductions in council tax that would be provided to people who were in financial need, or to classes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65