To approve the council tax amounts for each category of dwelling in Herefordshire, including precepts from West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority and Herefordshire parishes for the financial year 2017/18.

The Leader presented the report and moved the recommendations.

Councillor PM Morgan seconded.

Members made the following principal comments:

·         that support for the recommendations was with reluctance but in recognition of the financial position

·         that the proposal to consider capital revenue and council tax at the same time was welcomed

·         that it be noted that Hereford City Council was not raising its precept this year. 

A member asked for clarification regarding any requirement for relevant members to declare an interest as a member of the Fire and Rescue Authority. The solicitor to the council confirmed that this was not required. 

A named vote was held.  All members present voted for the recommendations with no abstentions.

For (46) Councillors PA Andrews, BA Baker, JM Bartlett, WLS Bowen, TL Bowes, H Bramer, CR Butler, ACR Chappell, PE Crockett, PGH Cutter, BA Durkin, PJ Edwards, CA Gandy, KS Guthrie, DG Harlow, EPJ Harvey, EL Holton, JA Hyde, TM James, AW Johnson, JF Johnson, JLV Kenyon, JG Lester, MD Lloyd-Hayes, MN Mansell, RL Mayo, MT McEvilly, SM Michael, PM Morgan, PD Newman, FM Norman, CA North, RJ Phillips, GJ Powell, AJW Powers, PD Price, P Rone, A Seldon, NE Shaw, WC Skelton, J Stone, D Summers, EJ Swinglehurst, A Warmington, DB Wilcox, SD Williams.

Against (0)

Abstentions (0)

RESOLVED

THAT:

(a) the precepting authority details incorporated in appendices 1 to 5, relating to parishes, West Mercia Police and Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority be approved in accordance with sections 30(2), 34(3), 36(1) and section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended) and that the following amounts be approved for the year 2017/18 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, Regulation 6 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011) :

(i)     £354,264,513                 being the estimated aggregate expenditure of the council in accordance with section 31A (2) of the act, including all precepts issued to it by parish councils;

(ii)     £257,389,000                being the estimated aggregate income of the council for the items set out in section 31A (3) of the act (including revenue support grant);

(iii)    £96,875,513                  being the amount by which the aggregate at (a)(i) above exceeds the aggregate at (a)(ii) calculated by the council in accordance with section 31A(4) of the act, as its council tax requirement for the year (including parish precepts);

(iv)    £1,433.11                      being the amount at (a)(iii) above divided by the amount of the council tax base 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)

(v)     £3,826,513                    being the aggregate amount of all special items (parish precepts) referred to in section 34(1) of the act;

(vi)     £1,376.50                     being the amount at (iv) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (v) above by the amount of the council tax base 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 (Herefordshire Council band D council tax, excluding parishes)

(b)  it is agreed that the net tax base (being the gross tax base adjusted for an assumed collection rate) used for setting the budget requirement for 2017/18:

(i)            for the whole council area is calculated as 67,598.21 band D equivalent properties;

(ii)          is allocated to band D equivalent dwellings per precept area as shown in appendix 1; and

(iii)         the individual council tax allocations per valuation band of dwelling by parish (including fire and police precepts) are as set out in appendix 5.