Issue - meetings

A period of up to one hour is allocated to consider the motions on notice.  This may only be extended with the agreement of the Council.

The Chairman confirmed that there were two Motions on Notice for consideration at this Council meeting.

Private School Business Rates

The following Motion on Notice was submitted by Councillor S. Evans for Council’s consideration:

“Private school business rates

Council calls on Cabinet as part of the budget setting process for 2025/26 to ring fence any additional income that will result from the move by central Government to impose business rates on private schools (and that is retained by Bromsgrove District). The ring fenced pot will be used to fund development activities for young people as part of the Council’s leisure and culture brief and this will include activities aimed at supporting the development of SEND young people.”

The Motion was proposed by Councillor S. Evans and seconded by Councillor J. Clarke.

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Evans highlighted that the Motion had been submitted with the aim to ensure that the Council made the most of the current situation to the benefit of the local community.  It was suggested that there would be approximately £550,000 additional income in business rates within the District as a result of the Government’s rule changes and approximately half of this income would be retained by Bromsgrove District Council.  Furthermore, the suggestion was made that this funding should be ringfenced for investment in initiatives designed to support local young people.  Whilst the Motion did not call on Members to determine the exact initiatives that should receive funding under this process, it was noted that this could include such activities as cycling classes and other youth activities.  The investment would be justified on the basis that young people represented the future of the District.

In seconding the Motion, Councillor Clarke acknowledged that the Council had financial pressures that needed to be addressed over the following years.  However, he suggested that the action proposed in the Motion came within the Council’s brief and would have a positive impact in the community. 

Members subsequently discussed the Motion in detail and in doing so noted that the Council would consider any additional business rates income generated from private schools and the use of this as part of the 2025/26 Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) to address any pressures that the Council faced and to fund priorities as agreed by Council.

It was noted that ring fencing this funding would run counter to how the Council allocated resources.  The Council budgeted for the use of its resources in the following way.

·             In Tranche 1 of the budget the Council clarified and documented the various pressures (legislative and Council priorities) on the budget as well as allowable additional funding sources. At this point of the process, there was usually a deficit position. 

·             By Tranche 2, the Council would understand the total funding available to the authority via the Local Government Finance Settlement and these additional sources of funding were added to the position agreed at Tranche 1 to give an overall position from which additional savings or priorities could be added.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72