Decision details

The Business Manager – Financial Services presented a report which enabled Members to consider spending proposals and recommendations to the Council for the budget in 2020/2021. The budget proposals had been formulated in accordance with the framework set out in the Council’s Constitution with the initial report having being presented to the Policy Committee on 27 June 2019. The proposed budget sought to allocate resources in order to ensure the delivery of the refreshed Community Plan.

The Local Government Finance Settlement provided key figures for Government Grant that formed part of the Council's budget. The provisional settlement was announced on 20 December 2019 and was confirmed on 6 February 2020 as £3.762m. This was an increase of 1.6% compared to 2019/20.

The report had been prepared by the Resources Directorate in conjunction with the appropriate Committees and relevant budget holders. In accordance with the Constitution, all Members, Directors and Business Unit Managers had been involved with the preparation of the budget.

AGREED      (with 6 votes for and 1 abstention) that:

a) the Committee notes the Community Plan in Appendix B and Employee Plan in Appendix C; and

b) the Committee recommends to the Full Council at its meeting on 9 March 2020 that:

i. the following amounts be now calculated by the council for the 2020/21 financial year, in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011:

1.  £48,168,720 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for items set out in Section 31A(2)(a) to (f) of the Act (the District Council’s gross expenditure for 2020/21);

2. £34,664,330 being the aggregate of the amounts which the council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3)(a) to (d) of the Act (the District Council’s gross income for 2020/21); and

3. £13,504,380 being the amount by which the aggregate at (b)(i) above exceeds the aggregate at (b)(ii) above, calculated by the council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Net Budget Requirement for the year;

ii. the figures shown as i.1. and i.3. above to be increased only by the amount of Parish Precepts for 2020/21;

iii. the budget amounts included in the report be the council’s budget for 2020/21; and

iv. the fees and charges shown in Appendices E to Y be implemented with effect from 1 April 2020.

Reason for Decision

To enable Policy & Finance Committee to make recommendations to Full Council of the amounts to be calculated in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011 for the purposes of setting Council Tax levels for the year 2020/21.