Issue - meetings

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Council Tax Resolutions 2025/26 for the Committee’s consideration.

Members were informed that the report provided instructions to Officers to issue Council Tax requests to local residents on behalf of precepting authorities.  The Council had set the Council Tax Base in January 2025 at 26,455.5 for the whole area and for dwellings in the Parish Precept area of Feckenham Parish at 382.1.  The Council Tax Resolutions focused on the next stage of the Council Tax setting process and an increase of 2.99 per cent, in terms of Council Tax contributions for the Borough, was being proposed in line with Government assumptions. 

The Committee was reminded that the Council collected Council Tax on behalf of Redditch Borough Council as well as other precepting authorities.  The other precepting authorities were Worcestershire County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.  The proportion of Council Tax payments from households paid to each precepting authority differed, with Worcestershire County Council receiving the largest contribution.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed the content and in doing so noted that a 2.99 per cent increase to Council Tax in 2025/26 would be necessary in order to address a pressure in the budget arising from a 0 per cent increase in the Local Government Settlement for the authority.

RESOLVED to NOTE that at meetings of the Executive and Council held in January 2025, Members approved the calculated Council Tax Base 2025/26 as:

(a)        for the whole Council area as 26,455.5 [item T in the formula in section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the “Act”)]; and

(b)       for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a parish precept relates; this being Feckenham Parish, as 382.1.

RECOMMENDED

1)          the calculation for the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2025/26 (excluding parish precepts) as £7,345,116.71;

2)          that the following amounts be calculated for the year 2025/26 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

a)         £50,366,2909.22 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(2) of the Act (taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils) (i.e., gross expenditure)

b)        £42,961,173.51 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(3) of the Act. (i,e gross income);

c)         £7,405,116.71 being the amount by which the aggregate of 1.2.2(a) above exceeds the aggregate of 1.2.2(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)        £279.91 being the amount at 1.2.2(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (1.1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84