The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford, led the Council in prayer.

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors: H Bramer, DJ Benjamin, SPA Daniels and H Davies.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda.

GUIDANCE ON DECLARING PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS AT MEETINGS

The Council’s Members’ Code of Conduct requires Councillors to declare against an Agenda item(s) the nature of an interest and whether the interest is personal or prejudicial.  Councillors have to decide first whether or not they have a personal interest in the matter under discussion.  They will then have to decide whether that personal interest is also prejudicial.

A personal interest is an interest that affects the Councillor more than most other people in the area.  People in the area include those who live, work or have property in the area of the Council.  Councillors will also have a personal interest if their partner, relative or a close friend, or an organisation that they or the member works for, is affected more than other people in the area.  If they do have a personal interest, they must declare it but can stay and take part and vote in the meeting. 

Whether an interest is prejudicial is a matter of judgement for each Councillor.  What Councillors have to do is ask themselves whether a member of the public – if he or she knew all the facts – would think that the Councillor’s interest was so important that their decision would be affected by it.  If a Councillor has a prejudicial interest then they must declare what that interest is and leave the meeting room.

Councillor ACR Chappell declared a personal interest in Agenda 6, 3.1 as a governor at the Hereford Academy.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the reconvened meeting held on 17 February 2009.  (To follow).

RESOLVED:            That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 February 2009 be approved as a correct record subject to the following amendments to Minute 28 - Formal Questions From Councillors to the Cabinet Members and Chairmen under Standing Orders and Minute 29 – Notices of Motion under Standing Orders.

Minute 28 - Councillor RI Matthews’ supplementary question to read:

“The Member expressed disappointment in the answer provided as he stated that the suspension of Section 106 requirements for commercial development on Council industrial estates only, did not provide a level playing field for the construction industry generally.  Section 106 requirements are having a detrimental effect on local small builders and builders’ merchants alike, causing a number to either close down or put off large numbers of staff.  It was requested that the Cabinet Member also consider removing these requirements from small housing developments, as was recommended by forward-planning officers some months ago.”

Minute 29, which immediately follows the announcement on an adjournment.

“Prior to the adjournment, Councillor PJ Edwards, as Chairman of the Strategic Monitoring Committee, presented the Chairman of Council and the deputy Leader with copies of letters regarding concerns relating to smallholding sales from individual and county bodies representing the agricultural industry.  At the commencement of the debate on the Notice of Motion on Smallholdings, Councillors: PJ Edwards, DW Greenow and RJ Phillips left the room.”

To receive the Chairman's announcements and petitions from members of the public.

The Chairman informed Council of the tea party he attended, which was hosted by the Mayor of Hereford City, to welcome visitors from the Bangladesh Ministry of Education along with two head teachers in relation to the Connection Classrooms Programme.  He stated this was a new initiative managed by the British Council to foster cultural understanding and relationships between the UK and Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The Herefordshire schools involved were: Llangrove Primary, St Joseph’s RC Primary, St Mary’s CE Primary at Fownhope and Wigmore.

Council and members of the public were reminded of the Civic Service to be held on 15 March at the Cathedral followed by afternoon tea at the Town Hall.

The Chairman brought to Council’s attention the structure of how the discussion and debate would be carried out on the matter of the Revenue Budget and Council Tax for 2009/10.

To receive questions from members of the public.

Copies of all public questions, received by the deadline, with the written answers were distributed prior to the commencement of the Council meeting.  Following on from the adoption of changes to questions from members of the public each member of the public who has lodged a written question is permitted to ask one supplementary question, should they wish to do so.  No supplementary questions were asked.

To receive any written questions from Councillors.

There were no written questions received from Councillors.

The Cabinet Member ICT Education and Achievement referred to the supplementary question at 2.2 of the Minutes of 17 February, asked by Councillor AT Oliver, and advised that he would contact the Councillor direct regarding the answer provided in the Minutes.

There are no Notices of Motion.

There were no Notices of Motion.

To receive the report and to consider any recommendations to Council arising from the meeting held on 19 February 2009. 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor RJ Phillips, presented the report of the meeting of Cabinet held on 19 February 2009, which set this year’s Financial Strategy and Revenue Budget.  He stated that due to the international financial situation the draft Financial Strategy of last year had had to be revised.  He added that the speed of the turnaround due to the international financial situation had been remarkable and that the Council were living in challenging and interesting times.  In referring to the Government’s three year settlement for local authorities he stated that it gave the authority the opportunity to plan the budget for services and was to be welcomed.

The Leader referred to:

• The Council’s targets for efficiency savings which he believed were achievable. 
• The need for financial discipline and thanked the Director of Resources for the seminar he had provided for Members explaining the budget in the current financial situation. 
• In referring to reductions in interest rates on savings, and the effect this had had on families with family members in residential care, he anticipated that there would be a reduction in care fees obtained for those in residential care; and it was anticipated there would be an increase in the number of those in residential care falling into the category that would be paid for from the Council tax.
• The environmental landfill tax and refuse collection contract, adding that the administration was keen to see weekly collections continue along with kerbside collection of recyclables for 90% of the County. 
• National focus on safe guarding children and vulnerable adults along with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks to be carried out. 
• Recognising the impact the economic downturn was having on the number of families being made homeless and how the capital budget had been used to address some of the issues by providing a mortgage rescue scheme to assist families in being able to stay in their own homes.
• The Local Government Association looking nationally to see what could be done to support shops and that Rotherwas Futures, backed by Advantage West Midlands, was encouraging and assisting businesses to move to the area. 
• Additional support for smallholdings with funding of £500k per year for the next three years to spend on the smallholdings estate. 
• £1m to be taken from reserves to support projects such as the Merchant House at Ledbury and the Market House at Ross-on-Wye and the impact these and other projects would have on the budget. 

The Leader advised that he had met with the Education Minister to discuss poorly funded educational services in the County, highlighting the high quality education provided and the extra cost on services due to the county covering a large rural area.  He recommended the report to Council and believed the budget was practical and met some of the risks, also recognising the strategy for the next three years needed to be one of caution whilst looking after the vulnerable members of the community.  The Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

To set the Council Tax amounts for each category of dwelling in Herefordshire for 2009/10 and to calculate the Council’s budget requirements.

Following the debate on the Council tax the Leader proposed the budget as outlined in the report.  Following the vote the budget was approved with 47 votes for and 6 against.

RESOLVED

         THAT:

                  1)   In respect of the Council’s 2009/10 Budget:

                        a)         a council tax of £1,175.24 be levied (at Band D);

                        b)         service areas contain expenditure within “cash limits” i.e. outturn budgets with no further allowance for pay or price inflation beyond that already provided;

2)      in respect of council tax for 2009/10 the following amounts be approved by Council for the year 2009/10 in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992;

a)         £325,731,480              being the estimated aggregate expenditure of the Council in accordance with Section 32(2)(a) to (e) of the Act;

b)         £185,624,124              being the estimated aggregate income of the Council for the items set out in Section 32(3)(a) to (c) of the Act;

c)         £140,107,356              being the amount by which the aggregate at (a) above exceeds the aggregate at (b) calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 32(4) of the Act, as its total net budget requirement for the year;

d)         £55,378,780                being the aggregate of the sums which the Council estimated will be payable for the year into its general fund in respect of redistributed non-domestic rates, revenue support grant, additional grant or relevant special grant, increased by the transfer from the Collection Fund;

e)         £1,209.34                    being the amount at (c) above less the amount at (d) above all divided by the amount of the Council Tax base calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 33(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of it Council Tax for the year;

f)          £2,389,356                  being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act;

g)         £1,175.24                    being the amount at (e) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (f) 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 special item relates;

h)         that the precepting authority details incorporated in Annex 1 (i-v), relating to Special Items, West Mercia Police and Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire and Rescue Authority be approved in accordance with Sections 30(2), 34(3), 36(1) and Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; and

                  3)   pursuant to the requirements of the Local Government (Functions and Responsibility) (England) Regulations 2000, any decisions on the application of reserves and balances as required from time to time during the financial year be taken by Cabinet.