Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Finance presented a report on the proposed fees and charges for Council services, the majority of which were proposed to come into effect from 1 January 2015 as a means of assisting in achieving a balanced budget by the end of the current financial year.

The Cabinet Member advised that rather than apply an across-the-board increase, officers had been tasked with ensuring that charges were reflective of competitive market rates for each service.  During the discussions, the following issues were raised:

·  Hire of Eastbury Manor House – the proposals were aimed at increasing take-up and enhancing the range of packages and entertainment on offer.  In that respect, it was suggested that the service would benefit from improved publicity.

·  Hire of Sports Pitches – the new charges were reflective of the full cost of providing and maintaining sports pitches and facilities, with grant funding to be made available to enable qualifying applicants to receive a contribution towards their costs.

·  Highways and Dropped Kerbs – officers confirmed that applicants would be eligible to make payments over an extended period to help towards the overall cost.

·  Pest Control Services – it was suggested that the charges were high and alternative options such as joint working with other local authorities should be explored to reduce costs.  The Divisional Director of Environment undertook to look into the matter and advise Cabinet Members accordingly.

·  On-Street Business / Trade Permits – it was suggested that the charge was too low and that it should be increased in the future.

·  Sex Shop Licences – the Divisional Director of Environment advised on the background to the reduction and confirmed that the issue would be kept under review.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the proposed fees and charges as set out in Appendix A to the report, to be effective from 1 January 2015 unless otherwise stated and subject to (iii) below;

(ii)  Note the fees and charges no longer applicable from 1 January 2015, as set out in Appendix B to the report;

(iii)  Note that the parking charges (reference no’s 399 – 461 in Appendix A) shall be subject to further consideration by the Cabinet on 16 December 2014 following the scrutiny and public consultation of the savings proposals endorsed by Minute 31(iii) (7 October 2014); and

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and the Cabinet Members for Finance and Education and Schools, to set fees and charges which are applied from September for schools and academic year based activities.