Agenda item

(a)          (The Leader) To consider the attached report.

 

Notes

 

That a recorded vote is held on the recommendations contained within the report, in accordance with the Council Procedure Rule V3 ‘Voting at Budget Decision Council 18 February 2016 Meetings’ which directs Members to comply with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting there must be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of that meeting the names of the persons who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting.

 

“Budget decision” means a meeting at which:

 

(a)          a calculation is made (whether originally or by way of substitute) in accordance with any of the Sections 31A, 31B, 34 to 36A, 42A, 42B, 45 to 49,

52ZF, 52ZJ of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended; or

 

(b)        a precept is issued under Chapter 4 of Part 1 of that Act,

 

and includes a meeting where making the calculation or issuing the precept as the case may be was included as an item of business on the agenda for that meeting.

 

References to a vote are references to a vote not only on the substantive budget motions agreeing the budget, setting council taxes or issuing precepts, but also on any amendments proposed at the meeting.

 

 

 

Mover: Councillor C Whitbread, on behalf of the Business Support Services Portfolio Holder

 

Councillor C Whitbread presented a report on the Council Budget and Council Tax Declarations for 2020/21 and thanked all officers involved in the process.

 

There voted for the recommendations (39) namely:

 

N Avey, R Baldwin, R Bassett, N Bedford, P Bolton, H Brady, R Brookes, L Burrows,

D Dorrell, S Heap, S Heather, B Jennings, J Jennings, S Jones, H Kane, S Kane, H Kauffman, J Knapman, J Lea, J Leppert, A Lion, C McCredie, J McIvor, S Murray, S Neville, A Patel, C C Pond, C P Pond, S Rackham, B Rolfe, M Sartin, J Share-Bernia, P Stalker, D Stocker, B Vaz, C Whitbread, H Whitbread, J H Whitehouse, J M Whitehouse and D Wixley.

 

There voted against the recommendations (0).

 

There voted to abstain (1) namely: D Plummer.

 

Report as first moved ADOPTED.

 

            RESOLVED:

 

(1)  That the changed format of the Financial Strategy of the Authority which contained the same information as in previous years be noted;

 

(2)  That the budget and recharges set out in appendix C1-C9 were correct in total but may require further  redistribution before the issue of operational budgets to managers on the 31 March 2020 be noted;

 

(3)  That following the Cabinet meeting on the 6 February 2020, the figures and assumptions had been reviewed and took in account the further details received and comments made by members;

 

(4)  That the Medium-Term Financial Strategy as attached to these minutes be approved;

 

(5)  That the importance of income from Qualis in respect to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and the Budget and the value and importance of developments that Qualis income would support, be noted.

 

(6)  That the 2020/21 Budget as set out in detail to these minutes be adopted;

 

(7)  That the approach to cost and income inflation would be 3.0%; rents would rise per the national formula of 2.7% and car parking income would not rise at all, pending the outcome of the review be noted;

 

(8)  That the list of revenue developments including additional income assumptions, capital schemes and loan requirements be approved;

 

(9)  That the revenue developments and additional income assumptions as set out in Appendix B.1 to a net value of £512,886 be approved;

 

(10)That the General and HRA capital spend of £26,549,250 in total as detailed in Appendix B.1 be approved;

 

(11)That loans to Qualis totalling up to £120m in 2020/21 and 2021/22 and further borrowing of up to £30m to fund the housing and general capital programme and provide cash-flow flexibility on a week by week basis be approved;

 

(12)That net staff and management savings to a value of £1,130,686 for 2020/21 had been included in the service budget figures and no further savings were required to balance the budget for 2020/21, be noted;

 

(13)That the District Development Fund funded developments for 2020/21 which indicated a draw of £1,164,590 and a replenishment of £851,704 be approved;

 

(14)That 2% had been added to pay and non-pay budgets to cover the costs of inflation and a further £1,095,540 had been set aside to fund other inflation pressures as they arose, be noted;

 

(15)That in addition to the Budget a net amount of £450,000 provided by HMRC was available to used, be noted;

 

(16)That the Treasury Strategy as set out in the minutes attached which included the statement and indicators be approved;

 

Declaration of Council Tax

 

(17)That it be noted that under delegated authority the Interim Strategic Director (Chief Finance Officer), in consultation with the Leader, calculated the Council Tax Base 2020/21:

 

(a)  For the whole Council area as 54,398.0 (Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended); and

(b)  For dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as set out below.

Tax Base

                                                                                                                                                     

Abbess, Beauchamp & Berners Roding                                                                 232.6

Buckhurst Hill                                                                                                        5,255.6

Chigwell                                                                                                                6,309.9

Epping Town                                                                                                         5,332.5

Epping Upland                                                                                            409.9

Fyfield                                                                                                                      407.4

High Ongar                                                                                                              566.2

Lambourne                                                                                                               903.3

Loughton Town                                                                                                   12,719.6

Matching                                                                                                                  462.0

Moreton, Bobbingworth and The Lavers                                                                 590.3

Nazeing                                                                                                                 2,135.6

North Weald Bassett                                                                                             2,590.5

Ongar                                                                                                                    2,791.8

Roydon                                                                                                                  1,401.5

Sheering                                                                                                               1,359.3

Stanford Rivers                                                                                                        368.5

Stapleford Abbotts                                                                                                   534.5

Stapleford Tawney                                                                                                     85.6

Theydon Bois                                                                                                        2,002.0

Theydon Garnon                                                                                                        88.6

Theydon Mount                                                                                                        117.2

Waltham Abbey Town                                                                                          7,820.5

Willingale                                                                                                                 243.7

 

 

(18)        That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2020/21 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

(a)        £123,543,801 being the aggregate of the amounts which 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;

 

(b)        £111,389,769 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

 

(c)        £12,154,032 being the amount by which the aggregate at 13 (a) above exceeds the aggregate at 13 (b) above,calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its CouncilTax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act);

 

            (d)        £222.08 being the amount at13 (c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (the amount at 9 (a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts);

 

(e)        £3,810,110 being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act;

 

(f)        £152.46 being the amount at 13 (d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 10 (e) above by Item T (9 (a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates.

 

(11)That it be noted that the County Council, the Police Authority and the Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each of the category of dwellings in the Council’s area;

 

(12) That the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts in Annex D1as the amounts of Council Tax for 2019/20 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

 

(13) That in accordance with section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, Council determines that the amount of Council Tax shown at (9) (f) of £152.46 for 2020/21, being an increase of 0% from 2019/20 is not excessive and therefore there is no need to hold a local referendum.