Agenda item
Recommendations from the Cabinet Meeting held on 19th February 2025 (to follow)
Members are asked to note that under the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the Council is required to take a named vote when a decision is made on the Council Tax at a budget decision meeting of the Council.
Under Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, any Councillor who is 2 or more months in arrears with their Council tax payments cannot participate in any item at the Council meeting concerning the budget.
As this meeting of Cabinet is due to be held on the same day as the Council meeting, any recommendations made by the Cabinet at this meeting will be tabled at the Council meeting.
Minutes:
The Chairman advised that a meeting of the Cabinet had taken place earlier that day at which recommendations had been agreed for the consideration of Council. Whilst there had not been sufficient time to prepare the minutes of that meeting in time for Council, recommendations had been tabled for Members’ consideration.
Local Development Scheme
The Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Regulatory Services opened the item by thanking Mr J. Coleman for the comments that he had submitted earlier in the evening to the Council. It was highlighted that the Council would be undertaking consultation in respect of the content of the Local Plan and the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Regulatory Services urged residents to take part in this process.
The Local Development Scheme provided a basic timetable for the Local Plan process at the Council. The report had been reviewed at meetings of both the Overview and Scrutiny Board and Strategic Planning Steering Group (SPSG). In both cases, Members had been advised that the Council had limited choice in terms of the timetable. However, Councils needed to set their own timetables as otherwise, under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), there was a risk of central Government intervention.
Further work would continue moving forward in respect of preparation of the Local Plan. Members would have an opportunity to contribute to this work by attending meetings of the SPSG and all Councillors were urged to participate in this process.
During consideration of this item, the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Regulatory Services highlighted that the Cabinet had amended the second recommendation in the report to request a delegation to the Assistant Director of Planning and Leisure Services to be used following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Regulatory Services, rather than to grant a delegation directly to the Cabinet Member. This amendment had been required, in line with constitutional requirements at the authority, because Cabinet Members did not have individual decision-making powers.
The recommendations were proposed by Councillor K. Taylor and seconded by Councillor K. May.
RESOLVED that
1) Bromsgrove District Council Local Development Scheme 2025 be approved as the Council’s programme for plan-making, effective as of 19th February 2025; and
2) Delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director for Planning and Leisure Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing and Worcestershire Regulatory Services, to approve updates to the Local Development Scheme as required.
Council Tax Resolutions 2025/26
The Cabinet Member for Finance presented the Council Tax Resolutions 2025/26 for Council’s consideration.
Members were informed that the Council Tax Resolutions ensured that the Residents of Bromsgrove were charged the correct Council Tax. That Council Tax included elements for a number of partner organisations including:
· Worcestershire County Council
· Bromsgrove District Council
· The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia
· The Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service
· The 19 Parish Councils in the District
The report detailed how much each precepting authority was charging across the full range of property bands, A to H. Overall, the average band D charge had increased in the following ways:
· For the County Council, an increase of 4.99 per cent to £1,615.71
· For the District Council an increase of 2.99 per cent to £257.48
· For the Police and Crime Commissioner an increase of 5.05 per cent to £291.50
· For the Fire and Rescue Authority an increase of 5.14 per cent to £102.22
The Council was due to collect £88.3 million of Council Tax income in 2025/26 on behalf of all these precepting organisations. The funds would be distributed to recipient organisations.
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The recommendations were proposed by Councillor S. Colella and seconded by Councillor K. May.
In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the decision on the Council Tax Resolutions was taken by a formal recorded vote process.
Members voting FOR the Council Tax Resolutions 2025/26
Councillors S. Ammar, A. Bailes, R. Bailes, S. Baxter, J. Clarke, S. Colella, J. Elledge, S. Evans, D. Forsythe, E. Gray, D. Hopkins, R. Hunter, H. Jones, B. Kumar, M. Marshall, K. May, P. McDonald, B. McEldowney, D. Nicholl, S. Nock, S. Peters, J. Robinson, S. Robinson, H. Rone-Clarke, J. Stanley, K. Taylor, S. Webb and P. Whittaker (28).
Members voting AGAINST the Council Tax Resolutions 2025/26
No Councillors (0).
Members voting to ABSTAIN on the Council Tax resolutions 2025/26
No councillors (0).
Therefore, on being put to the vote, the recommendations were carried.
RESOLVED
1) The calculation for the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2025/26 (excluding parish precepts) as £9,876,907.05.
2) That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2025/26 in accordance with sections 31 to 36 of the Act:
a) £48,010,187.83 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) (i.e., gross expenditure).
b) £36,759,479.34 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(3) of the Act. (i,e gross income).
c) £11,250,708.49 being the amount by which the aggregate of 1.2.2(a) above exceeds the aggregate of 1.2.2(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in section 31B of the Act).
d) £293.29 being the amount at 1.2.2(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (1.1(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) £1,373,801.44 being the aggregate amount of all special items (parish precepts) referred to in section 34(1) of the Act (as per the attached schedule 3)
f) £257.48 being the amount at 1.2.2(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 1.2.2(e) above by Item T (1.1 (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.
g) The amounts shown in column 4 of schedule 1. These are the basic amount of Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area shown in column 1 of the schedule respectively to which special items relate, calculated by the Council in accordance with section 34(3) of the Act. (District and parish combined at band D).
h) The amounts shown in columns 7 to 14 of schedule 1 being the amount given by multiplying the amount at 1.2.2(g) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number of dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by the council, in accordance with section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.
3) That it is to be noted that for the year 2025/26, Worcestershire County Council, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, and Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with section 40 of the Act for each category of dwelling in the Council’s area as indicated below:
4) That having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 1.2.2(h) and 1.2.3 above, that Bromsgrove District Council in accordance with sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 hereby sets the amounts shown in schedule 2 as the amounts of Council Tax for 2025/26 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.
5) The Director of Resources be authorised to make payments under section 90(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 from the collection fund by ten equal instalments between April 2025 to March 2026 as detailed below
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6) The Director of Resources is authorised to make transfers under section 97 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 from the collection fund to the general fund the sum of £11,250,708.49 being the Council’s own demand on the collection fund (£9,876,907.05) and parish precepts (£1,373,801.44) and the distribution of the surplus/deficit on the collection fund (£76,521.40).
7) That the Director of Resources is authorised to make payments from the general fund to parish councils the sums listed on Schedule 3 by two equal instalments on 1st April 2025 and 1st October 2025 in respect of the precept levied on the Council.
8) That the above resolutions to be signed by the Chief Executive for use in legal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court for the recovery of unpaid Council Taxes.
9) Notices of the making of the said Council Taxes signed by the Chief Executive are given by advertisement in the local press under section 38(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.