Decision details

Council:

(a)        APPROVED the Capital Programme and the associated funding up to the year ending 31 March 2020 as set out in Appendix A1 of the report included in the supplementary agenda, as circulated at the meeting.

(b)        APPROVED the revenue estimates for 2015-16 in the General Fund summary as set out in Appendix B1 of the report.

(c)        APPROVED the precautionary items for the General Fund, as set out in Appendix B2 of the report.

(d)        APPROVED the Medium Term Financial Strategy for the General Fund, as set out in Appendix B3(A) of the report, based on the assumptions contained within the report.

(e)        APPROVED the fees and charges proposed for 2015-16 as set out in Appendix B4 , including those relating to the planning pre-application service.

(f)        RESOLVED that the Executive Management Team be instructed to identify additional income or savings of £670,000 from 2015-16.

(g)        RESOLVED that the Council Tax requirement for 2015-16 is £7,478,550.

(h)        RESOLVED that the Council sets the amount of Council Tax for each of the relevant categories of dwelling in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 on the basis of a District Council Tax for general expenses on a Band D property of £125.31 plus the relevant amounts required by the precepts of Parish Councils, Cambridgeshire County Council, the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the Cambridgeshire Fire Authority, details of those precepts and their effect to be circulated with the formal resolution required at the Council meeting.

(i)         APPROVED the Housing Revenue Account estimates and the rent increase for the financial year ending 31 March 2016, as set out in Appendices C and C1 of the report, with the rent increase being in accordance with rent restructuring guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

(j)         APPROVED the service and other charges for housing services for the financial year ending 31 March 2016 as set out in Appendix C2 of the report.

(k)        APPROVED the Housing Revenue Account business plan summary for the next 30 years to 31 March 2045 as set out in Appendix C3 of the report.

(l)         APPROVED the Borrowing and Investment Strategy for the year to 31 March 2016 as set out in Appendix D1 of the report.

(m)      APPROVED the prudential indicators required by the Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities for the year to 31 March 2016 as set out in Appendix D2 of the report.

(n)        RESOLVED that the Executive Director (Corporate Services) be given delegated authority to issue the final version of the Estimates Book, incorporating the amendments required from the Council’s decisions.

(o)        RESOLVED to commit a proportion of New Homes Bonus receipts in each year to the Greater Cambridge City Deal, amounting to 40% in 2015/16 and 50% from 2016-17 onwards as set out in Appendix B5 of the report.

In addition to resolution (g) above, Council AGREED the following statutory resolution in respect of the Council Tax for 2015/16:

That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2015-16 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

            (a)        £88,348,234                being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (2) (a) to (f) of the Act (gross expenditure including parish precepts, the Housing Revenue Account and additions to reserves)

            (b)        £76,315,960                being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (3) (a) to (d) of the Act (gross income including the Housing Revenue Account and use of reserves)

            (c)        £12,032,274                being the amount by which the aggregate at (a) above exceeds the aggregate at (b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A (4) of the Act, as its council tax requirement for the year (net expenditure to be met from council tax) being the district amount of £7,478,550 and the parish precepts of £4,553,724

            (d)          £201.61                     being the amount calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year (average council tax for a band D property for the District including parishes)

(e)        £4,553,724                 being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act (parish precepts)

            (f)        £125.31                      being the amount 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 special item relates (average council tax for a Band D property for the District excluding parishes), the amounts being for each of the categories of dwellings shown below in Table 1

(h)          In accordance with Section 34(3) of the Act, the basic amounts of council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a special item relates are shown by adding the amounts for band D for the District Council in Table 1 and Appendix A of the report.

                                          (i)         In accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands are shown by adding the amounts for each band in Table 1 and Appendix A of the report.

That it be noted that for the year 2015-16 Cambridgeshire County Council, Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings as shown in Table 1:

and

  (j)       That the Council, in accordance with Section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the amounts set out in Appendix B of the report as the amounts of council tax for the year 2015-16 for each of the categories of dwellings shown in Appendix B.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION IN RESPECT OF SETTING THE COUNCIL TAX

Including the precepts from the County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Fire Authority and all of the parishes, the formal Council Resolution would produce a Council Tax for a band D property of:

On these figures the Council Tax would range from £1,010.12 for Band A to £3,277.24 for Band H before any discounts or benefits.

Appendix C of the report shows the General Fund summary including Parish precepts and the final Formula Grant figure.