Agenda item

To consider the recommendations of the Executive in relation to the draft General Fund Revenue Budget and the setting of a Council Tax for the 2015/ 2016 Financial Year.

Members considered the recommendations of the Executive at its meeting on 9 February and 23 February 2015 in relation to the draft General Fund Revenue Budget for 2015/16, following consultation with the trade unions, business ratepayers and the Council’s Scrutiny Committee and Finance and Audit Committee and open access public consultation that been held over a period of weeks from January.  Members noted the precepts set by the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire.

Motion:  Councillor Blackburn proposed (and Councillor Jackson seconded): 

‘The Council to agree the proposed recommendations outlined in Appendix 6(c) of the Council report, bringing together the recommendations from the Executive meetings on 9 February 2015 and 23 February 2015 into a summary document, set out in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.  The recommendations being subject to the proposed saving for the ARC (Review of terms and conditions) in the sum of £70,000 (as set out in Appendix 2 of the General Fund Revenue report to the Executive on 9 February) being replaced with a saving of equal value being found by the statutory Director of Adult Services from the Adult Services budget and are as follows:

1.             To agree the level of net expenditure for the General Fund Revenue Budget 2015/2016 of £128,073,000 (ref. Paragraph 2.3 and 5.2 of the report to the Executive on 23 February 2015).

2.             To agree a level of budget savings of £25.2m (ref. paragraph 7.1 and 7.2 of the report and Appendix 2 of the report to the Executive on 9 February 2015).

3.             To agree that the Chief Executive be authorised to take any necessary steps to ensure all staffing savings are achieved (ref. paragraph 8.1 of the report to the Executive on 9 February 2015).

4.             To agree that the target level of working balances remains at £6m (ref. paragraph 11.4 of the report to the Executive on 9 February 2015).

5.             To note the position regarding support to the voluntary sector (ref. paragraph 9.1 of the report to the Executive on 9 February 2015).

6.             To note the comments of the meeting of the Scrutiny Committee and the meetings of the Finance and Audit Committee with the Trade Unions and the non-domestic Ratepayers, as reported to the Executive and the responses given.

7.             To adopt the formal Council Tax Resolutions set out at Appendix 6 (c), in so doing agree a Council Tax Requirement of £45,535,000 and a Council Tax Base of 34,866.

8.             To note the calculation of Aggregate Amounts as directed by Section 31A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as set out at Appendix 6 (c).

9.             To approve an unchanged level of Council Tax for the financial year 2015/2016 of £1,306.00 at valuation band D equivalent (excluding the precepts for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire and the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority).

10.         To note that the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority precept for the financial year 2015/16 is £64.86 for a Band D Tax equivalent and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire’s precept for the financial year 2015/2016 is £159.06 for a Band D Tax equivalent.

11.         To confirm the aggregate levels of Council Tax for Valuation Bands A to H as follows:

Recorded vote:  The Council noted that legislation was now in place that required a recorded vote on the Council’s budget.  The voting was as follows:

For the motion:  Councillors Benson, Blackburn, Cain, Campbell, G Coleman, I Coleman, Collett, Cross, Doherty, Elmes, Green, Hunter, Hutton, Jackson, Mrs Jackson, Matthews, M Mitchell, O’Hara, Owen, Rowson, Ryan, Smith, I Taylor, Mrs Taylor, Wright - Total 25.

Against the motion:  Councillors Brown, Mrs Callow, Callow, Clapham, Galley, Mrs Henderson, Robertson, Stansfield, Williams – Total 9.

Abstentions:  Councillor Mrs Haynes – Total 1.

Motion carried:  The motion was therefore carried.