Venue: Council Chamber, Runcorn Town Hall
Contact: Angela Scott on 0151 511 8670 or Email: angela.scott@halton.gov.uk
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Mayor's Announcements 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. |
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Budget 2015/16 (Minute EXB 127 refers) PDF 91 KB 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. Minutes: 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 10th 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:
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. |
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Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2015/16 (Minute EXB 125 refers) PDF 143 KB 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. Minutes: 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. |
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2014/15 Revised Capital Programme (Minute EXB 126 refers) PDF 66 KB 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. Minutes: 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. |
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Pay Policy Statement 2015/16 PDF 53 KB To consider the attached report:- RECOMMENDATION: That Council approves the Pay Policy Statement for 2015/16. Minutes: 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. |
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Minutes: 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 4th 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. |
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SCHEDULE 12A OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) ACT 1985 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. Minutes: (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. |
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(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). |
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John Briggs House and the Police & Magistrates sites (Minute EXB 129 refers) 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. Minutes: 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. |