Issue - meetings

To present to Council the Cabinet’s General Fund budget proposals including the Council Tax for District and Parish/Town Council Services for 2017/18.

The Council gave consideration to the Cabinet’s General Fund budget proposals for 2017/18 and the amount of Council Tax for District and Town and Parish Council services for the financial year 2017/18, for each category of dwellings within the District of Tendring, to support the proposed level of expenditure.

Members were aware from Minute 135 (A.2) of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 20 January 2017, that the Corporate Director (Corporate Services), in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Interim Finance, Revenues & Benefits Portfolio Holder, had been authorised to submit a report to this meeting in respect of the formal draft resolutions necessary to implement the Cabinet’s budget proposals, together with any late information, or notifications received from the Department for Communities and Local Government, as may necessarily affect the budget.

The Council was advised of all the resolutions made by the Cabinet on 20 January 2017, together with the additional recommendations necessary to set the Council Tax levy. Those resolutions and recommendations were before the Council, as contained within item A.1 of the Report of the Cabinet.

The Council was aware that the Cabinet’s proposed budget had been subject to the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, which had included scrutiny by the Council’s Corporate Management Committee.

Members were also aware that the Town and Parish Councils within the District had met to set their precepts and those precepts were contained within Appendix E to the Report of the Cabinet, which detailed the Precepts on the Collection Fund. The Council was also aware from Appendix F, that the average District and Parish Council Tax for a Band D property would increase to £192.52.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Stock) made the following statement on the Council’s estimates and financial arrangements for the year ending 31 March 2017:

“When I stood here 12 months ago and introduced the 2016/17 budget I explained how it had been the toughest budget in many recent years. But the budget for 2017/18 has been even tougher and following the Government’s 4 year funding offer there will be no let-up in the need to find savings right through to 2019/20.

And even then, whilst I am sure many people will be hoping that things will start to get better after 2019/20 with the introduction of the 100% business rates retention approach, I think it would be safe for us all to remain cynical and assume that our funding position is not going to get any easier. History would suggest that it is quite likely that Government will be considering devolving further burdens down to Local Authorities but not backing them up with the right level of funding, which was the trick we all remember they did with the Local Council Tax Support Scheme.    

Our underlying principle in past years when making savings has always been to protect front line services. So our focus has been on working more efficiently and reducing our staffing and overhead costs alongside modest  ...  view the full minutes text for item 142