Agenda and minutes

          The Mayor made the following announcement:-

 

·       All Councillors were invited to support the ‘Nightstop’ sleepover for homeless persons event on Friday 6 March 2015 from 7.30pm. Nightstop Communities Northwest was one of the Mayor’s chosen charities for 2014/15.

Executive Board considered the attached report.

 

RESOLVED: That Council be recommended to adopt the resolution set out in Appendix A of the report, which included setting the budget at £101.452m, the Council Tax requirement of £38.649m (before Parish, Police and Fire precepts) and the Band D Council Tax for Halton of £1,204.01.

The Executive Board had considered a report setting out a recommendation to Council in respect of the Budget, Capital Programme and Council Tax for 2015/16. Since then the Cheshire Fire Authority and the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner had set their budgets and council tax precepts and these had been included in the report to full Council.

 

          The report included detail on the following:-

 

·       Medium Term Financial Strategy;

·       Budget Consultation

·       Review of the 2014/15 Budget;

·       2015/16 Budget;

·       the Local Government Finance Settlement;

·       Budget Outlook;

·       Halton’s Council Tax;

·       Parish Precepts;

·       Average Council Tax;

·       Police Precept;

·       Fire Precept;

·       Total Council Tax;

·       Capital Programme;

·       Prudential Code; and

·       School Budgets.

 

The Executive Board had recommended that Council adopt the resolution set out in Appendix A of the report, which included setting the budget at £101.452m and the Band D Council Tax for Halton (before Parish, Police and Fire precepts) of £1,204.01.

 

Councillor Wharton, Resources Portfolio Holder, thanked all the Officers involved for their support in producing this budget and wished to record his thanks to the Members of the Executive Board, the Budget Working Group and the Chairs of the Policy and Performance Boards for their contribution. In addition he thanked the Leader for his help and support in delivering this budget.

 

Members were advised that, under Standing Order 16(3), a recorded vote was required on all matters that related to decisions on the setting of Council Tax.

 

          The following Members voted FOR the motion:

 

Councillors S. Baker,  J. Bradshaw, D. Cargill, E. Cargill, Cassidy, Cole, Dennett, Edge, Gerrard, Gilligan, Harris, P. Hignett, R. Hignett, S. Hill, V. Hill, Horabin, Howard, Jones, M. Lloyd Jones, P. Lloyd Jones, C. Loftus, K. Loftus, A. Lowe, J. Lowe, MacManus, McDermott, A. McInerney, T. McInerney,  Nelson, Nolan, Osborne, Parker, Philbin, C. Plumpton Walsh,

N. Plumpton Walsh, Polhill, Ratcliffe, Joe Roberts, June Roberts, Rowe, Sinnott, G. Stockton, Thompson, Wainwright, Wall, Wallace, Wharton, Woolfall, Wright and Zygadllo.

 

          There were no votes against the motion.

 

          There were no abstentions.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1)    the policies outlined in this paper be adopted, including the Budget for 2015/16, the savings set out in Appendix B and the Capital Programme set out in Appendix F;

 

2)    that it be noted that at the meeting on 10^th December 2014 the Council agreed the following:

 

(a) The Council Tax Base 2015/16 for the whole Council area is 32,100 (item T in the formula in Section 31B(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the Act)  and

 

(b) For dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates, be set out as follows:

 

Parish	Tax Base
Hale	649
Daresbury	153
Moore	320
Preston Brook	324
Halebank	488
Sandymoor	948

 

          being the amounts calculated by the Council, in accordance with Regulation 6 of the Regulations, as the amounts of its Council Tax Base for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which special items relate.

 

3)    Calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

Executive Board considered the attached report:-

 

RESOLVED: That Council be recommended to adopt the policies, strategies, statements and prudential and treasury indicators outlined in the report.

The Executive Board had considered a report which proposed the Treasury Management Strategy for 2015/16, appended to the report and which detailed the following:

 

·       Reporting requirements;

·       Treasury Management issues;

·       Capital Prudential Indicators 2015/16  to 2017/18;

·       Borrowing;

·       Annual Investment Strategy; and

·       Minimum Revenue Provision.

 

RESOLVED: That the policies, strategies, statements and prudential and treasury indicators outlined in the report, be adopted.

 

Executive Board considered the attached reports:-

 

RESOLVED: That Council be recommended to approve the revisions to the Council’s 2014/15 Capital Programme set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report.

The Executive Board had considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on the 2014/15 revised Capital Programme.

 

The Council’s Capital Programme had been revised to reflect a number of changes in spending profiles and funding, as schemes developed. These were detailed in Appendix 1.

 

RESOLVED: That the revisions to the Council’s 2014/15 Capital Programme set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report be approved.

 

 

To consider the attached report:-

 

 

RECOMMENDATION: That Council approves the Pay Policy Statement for 2015/16.

 

Council considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources, which contained details of the Council’s recommended Pay Policy Statement for 2015/16 (the Statement).

 

          The Localism Act 2011 required every local authority to prepare a pay policy statement each year, which detailed the Council’s approach to a range of issues relating to the pay of its employees.

 

The report detailed the following information:

 

·       Background to the Pay Structure;

·       Senior Management Remuneration;

·       Recruitment of Chief Officers;

·       Additions to Salaries of Chief Officers;

·       Pension Contributions;

·       Payments on Termination:

·       Publication;

·       Lowest Paid Employees: and

·       Accountability and Decision Making.

 

RESOLVED: That the Pay Policy Statement for 2015/16 be adopted.

 

The following motion was moved and seconded by Councillors Dave Thompson and Tom McInerney respectively:

 

 

Water service charges

 

Council resolves:

 

1)  To write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs expressing the concern of Council at both current charges and proposed further water service charges affecting Halton Council.

 

2)   Council asks the Secretary of State to note that surface water highway drainage charges applied by United Utilities to local authorities are already charged at the highest rates in England and Wales. Her attention is drawn to United Utilities proposing to phase-in new and further charges for Council premises and open spaces from April 2016 at a time when this Council has sustained prolonged and unprecedented reductions in budget.

 

3)   The Secretary of State is asked to note the significant difference between what Council’s within the United Utilities region are charged and what level of water service charges are applied to local authorities by all other water and sewerage companies in other regions.

 

The following examples are noted:

 

·       This Council pays £13,168 a year, through site area charges on premises that United Utilities class as Band 7, yet the same charging method used in Yorkshire Water would result in a charge of just £377. The higher the charging band the greater the disproportionate level of charging there is between what United Utilities apply to this Council and that charged in other regions.

 

·       Department for Education CFR data shows that in 2012/13, schools in the North West region paid a total of £27 million for water/sewerage, whereas schools in the South East paid £11 million. Both regions roughly have similar numbers of schools and pupils yet an extra £16 million of added charges are applied in our region.

 

·       Halton pays £37.78 in water charges per school child, the comparative costs in the Windsor and Maidenhead LEA area are just £10.22. Both areas have similar numbers of schools and pupils, yet Halton is ranked 4^th highest nationally and Windsor has one of the lowest charges in England & Wales.

 

·       United Utilities have indicated intent to phase in added charges to the six Greater Merseyside local authorities of £2,430,000 from April 2016. No other district outside the North West will face such extensive additional charging.

4) Council calls upon the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to commission an independent review of the differing scale of charges facing public sector services for water and sewerage services, similar in scope to the 2009 Walker Review of household charging.

 

She is asked to revise guidance on concessionary schemes that relate to section 43 of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 to make clear that community assets managed by local authorities can be included within a concessionary scheme.

 

 

RESOLVED: That the motion be agreed.

        In this case Council has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

 

Please note that if this resolution is passed, members of the press and public will be asked to leave the room during consideration of the following business.

 

                    Council considered:

 

(1)  whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of Council during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

                                                                                                   

(2)  whether the disclosure of information was in the public  

interest, whether any relevant exemptions were  applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

 

                                                                                                        RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

 

(N.B. Councillor Margaret Ratcliffe declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following item of business as she was a serving Magistrate, and left the room during consideration of the item).

Executive Board considered the attached report:-

 

RESOLVED: That Council be recommended to approve the addition to the Capital Programme, of a scheme for the demolition and fencing of the Police and Magistrates Court sites, as set out in paragraph 3.10 of the report.

          Executive Boards had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise, on proposals for John Briggs House and the Police and Magistrates Court sites in Widnes.

 

          RESOLVED: That the addition to the Capital Programme of a scheme for the demolition and fencing of the Police and Magistrates Court sites, as set out in the report, be approved.