Agenda item

To consider a joint report by the Head of Finance and Assets and Head of Revenues and Benefits (copy enclosed) seeking approval of the necessary resolutions in order to set the levels of Council Tax for 2015/16.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets presented the report (previously circulated) seeking approval of the necessary resolutions in order to set the levels of Council Tax for 2015/16.  He particularly referred to –

·        the main features of the budget as approved on 3 February 2015

·        observations of the Section 151 Officer on the robustness of budget estimates and adequacy of reserves

·        a breakdown of the precepts from Town/Community Councils and the Police & Crime Commissioner for North Wales, and

·        recommendations for the levels of Council Tax for 2015/16.

Councillor Eryl Williams referred to the difficult financial decisions made by the authority and raised concerns that Welsh Government was awarding various grants and monies to Councils at such a late stage in the financial year whilst simultaneously imposing severe cuts.  The result was causing difficulties for Councils planning their financial strategies and it was considered that if funding was available it should be allocated beforehand to help Councils shield against the worse cuts.  Members noted it was usual practice for Welsh Government to award monies in the last 4/6 weeks of the financial year and acknowledged the difficulties for financial planning as a result of that approach, particularly given the current financial situation.  Members discussed the way forward and felt it was a matter for constructive scrutiny with a view to changing the way funding was allocated in order to improve financial management.  Consequently it was agreed that the matter be passed to the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group to be appropriately timetabled for scrutiny.  Councillor Stuart Davies was keen for the relevant Minister to be called to account but was advised that the authority had no power to summon a Minister before the scrutiny committee.  In terms of the recent £1.5m allocation to be spent on play equipment by the end of the financial year, Councillor Huw Jones provided assurances that arrangements were being made with a view to spending Denbighshire’s £48k share as soon as possible.

Members considered the precepts from the Town/Community Councils and the Police & Crime Commissioner for North Wales and Councillor Bobby Feeley asked for a breakdown of what had been achieved and would likely be achieved based on the Police precept amount.  It was agreed to write to the Police Commissioner’s Office for that breakdown together with a copy of the Action Plan produced for the region and it was also suggested that members may seek to scrutinise that information to ascertain what had been delivered for the precept.  Members took assurance from the Section 151 Officer’s statement in which he considered the budget proposals to be sensible and robust and in the adequacy and appropriateness of general balances.  Finally consideration was given to the recommended levels of Council Tax and reference was made to the work of the Caravan Sites Strategy Working Group in terms of the potential to raise council tax revenue for future years.  It was noted that once that work had been completed the findings would be reported back to full Council.

Members voted on the report recommendations as follows –

31 votes for, 0 against and 0 abstentions

RESOLVED that Council unanimously approve the following recommendations  –

(a)       County Council, as Billing Authority, considered the precepts received from the Police & Crime Commissioner for North Wales and the Town/Community Councils and declared the Council Tax levels for the 2015/16 financial year;

(b)       the amounts calculated by the Council for the 2015/16 financial year, in accordance with Sections 32 to 34 (1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (the Act) and Alteration of Requisite Calculations (Wales) Regulations 2008 be as Appendix A section 3;

(c)        the amounts calculated by the Council for the 2015/16 financial year, in accordance with Sections 34 (2) to 36 (1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (the Act) be as Appendix section 4;

(d)       the amounts of Council Tax for the 2015/16 financial year for each of the categories of dwellings be as shown in Appendix C to the report, and

(e)       the level of discount for Class A, B, and C as prescribed under the Council Tax (Prescribed Class of Dwellings) (Wales) Regulations 2004 be set at zero for the financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17 being the term of this Council with the caveat that this is dependant on no changes to legislation or local conditions.