Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and / or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Leader advised that there were two agenda packs to refer to; the main agenda and a supplementary pack.  There had been a delay in receiving the report in respect of the Council Tax Resolutions as the Council had been waiting for information from some of the preceptor authorities that received Council Tax.  However, the Executive Committee minutes from a meeting held on 16^th February 2021 and Overview and Scrutiny Committee minutes from a meeting held on 11^th February 2021 had been available for Members to access electronically since Friday, 19^th February 2021.

The Executive Committee meeting that is due to take place on Tuesday, 16^th February 2021 will occur after the agenda for this meeting of the Executive Committee has been published.  The minutes of that meeting will therefore follow in a supplementary pack.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on Tuesday, 16^th February 2021 be approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Head of Financial and Customer Services presented the Council Tax Resolutions for the Executive Committee’s consideration.  Members were advised that the report detailed the Council Tax calculations for the Council and the other precepting authorities. 

The Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority had not yet held a meeting to determine their requirements and therefore assumptions had had to be made in the report about the contribution to that organisation.  Delegated authority had been requested for Officers to be able to amend the resolutions should the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority agree a position that differed from the assumptions detailed in the report.

During consideration of this item reference was made to the late notice that had been provided to Members in respect of the report, with publication having occurred on the day of the meeting.  The Chief Executive explained that this delay was not caused by Council Officers but as a consequence of the precepting authorities communicating their position to the Council at a late stage.  Members who served on the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority were urged to raise the timing of their meetings with the authority to ensure that in future the Council could receive reports in respect of the Council Tax Resolutions in a timely manner.

RESOLVED to NOTE:

that at its meeting on 12th January 2021, the Executive Committee calculated the Council Tax Base 2021/22 as:

(a)      for the whole Council area as 26,158.13 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government 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 367.22.

RECOMMENDED that

1)        the calculation for the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2021/22 (excluding Parish precepts) as £6,517,245.77;

2)        the following amounts be calculated for the year 2021/22 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Act: 

(a)     £47,617,501 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)     £41,090,255 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)     £6,527,246 being the amount by which the aggregate of 1.2.2(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 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)    £249.53 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 its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts);                         

(e)     £10,000 being the aggregate amount of all special items (Feckenham Parish precept) referred  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

The latest meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee took place on Thursday, 11^th February 2021, the day before the agenda for this meeting of the Executive Committee was due to be published.  Therefore, the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will follow in a supplementary pack for this meeting.

Officers confirmed that there were no recommendations arising from the latest meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held on Thursday, 11^th February 2021.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Thursday, 11^th February 2021 be noted.

To receive and consider any outstanding minutes or referrals from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Executive Panels etc. since the last meeting of the Executive Committee, other than as detailed in the items above.

There were no referrals from either the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or the Executive Advisory Panels for consideration on this occasion.

Members are invited to provide verbal updates, if any, in respect of the following bodies:

a)    Climate Change Cross-Party Working Group – Chair, Councillor Brandon Clayton;

b)    Constitutional Review Working Panel – Chair, Councillor Matthew Dormer;

c)    Corporate Parenting Steering Group – Council Representative, Councillor Nyear Nazir;

d)    Member Support Steering Group – Chair, Councillor Matthew Dormer; and

e)    Planning Advisory Panel – Chair, Councillor Matthew Dormer.

Members noted that there were no updates from the Executive Advisory Panels or other external bodies on this occasion.