Issue - meetings

That Cabinet recommends to Full Council at its meeting on 6 March 2025:

i.         the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the 2025/26 financial year, in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011:

ii.        the figures shown as i.1. and i.3. above to be increased only by the amount of Parish Precepts for 2025/26;

iii.      the budget amounts included in the report be the Council’s budget for 2025/26; and

iv.      the fees and charges shown in Appendices C1-C22 be implemented with effect from 1 April 2025.

Reasons for Decision:

To enable Cabinet to make recommendations to 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 2025/26 financial year.

Options Considered:

Not applicable, the Cabinet is required to make recommendations on the budget to the Full Council.

The Business Manager – Financial Services presented a report which enabled Members to consider the spending proposals in the Council’s proposed 2025/26 General Fund Revenue Budget.  The budget proposals had been prepared in accordance with the Council’s budget setting strategy for 2025/26, as approved by Cabinet on 24 September 2024. 

The Local Government Finance Settlement provided councils with the amount of government grant and other information pertinent for setting next year’s budget. The provisional settlement was announced on 18 December 2024 and the final settlement on 3 February 2025.  It was reported that the assumed Council Tax increase within the proposed revenue budget was an increase in the Band D equivalent of 2.99%.

AGREED     (with 6 votes for, 1 against and 1 abstention) that Cabinet recommends to Full Council at its meeting on 6 March 2025:

i.         the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the 2025/26 financial year, in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011:

1.       £57,162,110        being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for items set out in Section 31A(2)(a) to (f) of the Act, as the District Council’s gross expenditure for 2024/25);

2.       £36,261,250        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, as the District Council’s gross income for 2024/25); and

3.       £20,900,860        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 2025/26;

iii.      the budget amounts included in the report be the Council’s budget for 2025/26; and

iv.      the fees and charges shown in Appendices C1-C22 be implemented with effect from 1 April 2025.

Reasons for Decisions:

To enable Cabinet to make recommendations to 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 2025/26 financial year.

Options Considered:

Not applicable, the Cabinet is required to make recommendations on the budget to the Full Council.