Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Resources, which calculated the Council Tax level for 2016/17.

In previous years the Council has had the flexibility to increase Council Tax by up to 2% without holding a local referendum on the matter.  The report indicated that the Pre-Budget Report was approved on the basis of consulting on a Council Tax rise of 1.9%.  It had subsequently been confirmed that, in recognition of the increasing pressure on adult social care services across the country, the Government had increased this flexibility by a further 2%, up to a maximum of 4%.  On that basis, the budget was being proposed on the basis of increasing the Council Tax by 3.9% in order to increase the resources available to fund adult social care services within the City.

The Executive Director of Resources reported that the precepts from the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority were approved at their meeting on 15^th February 2016 and, as a result, the figures indicated as provisional within the report were confirmed.

The Cabinet noted that the recommendations followed the structure of resolutions drawn up by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, to ensure that legal requirements were fully adhered to in setting the tax.  As a consequence, the wording of the resolutions was necessarily complex.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet recommend that Council:-

(1)  Note the following Council Tax base amounts for the year 2016/17, as approved by Council on 12^th January 2016, in accordance with Regulations made under Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended) (“the Act”):

a)  77,525.1 being the amount calculated by the Council as its Council Tax base for the year for the whole area;

b)  Allesley  318.3

Finham  1,467.8

Keresley  226.2

being the amounts calculated by the Council as its Council Tax base for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

(2)  That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2016/17 in accordance with Sections 31A, 31B and 34 to 36 of the Act:

(a)  £692,642,421  being the aggregate of the amounts that the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils (Gross Expenditure and reserves required to be raised for estimated future expenditure);

(b)  £581,800,332  being the aggregate of the amounts that the council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act. (Gross Income including reserves to be used to meet the Gross Expenditure but excluding Council Tax income);

(c)  £110,842,089  being the amount by which the aggregate at (2)(a) above exceeds the aggregate at (2)(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year;

(d)  £1,429.76  (2)(c)  =  £110,842,089

  (1)(a)  77,525.1

  being the amount at (2)(c) above divided by the amount at (1)(a) above,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122