Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive attached.

Members are requested to bring with them Report 10 to 23 February Cabinet 2009 (previously circulated.)

Any questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.1, of which notice has been given to follow.

(a)  In accordance with notice given, Councillor Marlow asked the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources:

“What is the estimated total cost of the Teddington school rebuild?  How much of this will be met by Government grant?”

Councillor Knight replied in the following terms:

“The agreed budget for the Teddington School rebuild project is £36.75m of which the Government grant is covering just under £25m and I can report this evening that the project is currently on schedule and within budget.”

Councillor Marlow asked a supplementary question enquiring as to what other projects would be affected in view of the overspend on Teddington School.  Councillor Knight reiterated that the Teddington School project was on schedule and on budget.

(b)  In accordance with notice given, Councillor Bennett asked the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources,

“Will the Cabinet Member for Resources please tell us which London boroughs have this year a higher percentage Council Tax increase than Richmond upon Thames’s 4.33 percent?”

Councillor Knight replied in the following terms:

“No London councils are proposing a higher increase in Council Tax although there are many councils outside London who are.  I would also say that no other London council faces the kind of financial position that we face – as the lowest funded and lowest spending council in London.”

Councillor Bennett asked a supplementary question concerning responsibility for the funding position and stating that local people needed financial help.  Councillor Knight replied that it was precisely because local people needed help and support that a budget was proposed which protected services.

Councillor Knight moved, seconded by Councillor Lourie:

(1)               That the Council agree the Revenue Budget for 2009/10.

(2)               That the Council agree Richmond upon Thames’ element of the Band D Council Tax be set at £1,287.39 (an increase of £53.45 or 4.33%).

(3)               That the Council agree that the overall Band D level of Council Tax for 2009/10 including the GLA element be set at £1,597.21, an overall increase of 3.46%. 

(4)       That the Council agree the Council Tax 2009/10 resolution to be proposed by the Leader (attached at Appendix A).

Councillor True moved, seconded by Councillor Samuel,

To Recommendation 1 add the following:

“and, noting the unprecedented gravity of the present recession and the need of local people and businesses for financial help now, resolve to apply an additional£4.718 million from balances in order to effect a cash freeze and maintain the level of Council tax unchanged."

In Recommendation 2, delete “£1,287.39 (an increase of £53.45 or 4.33%)” and insert "£1,233.94 (a cash freeze)"

In Recommendation 3, delete “£1,597.21 (an increase of 3.46%)" and insert "£1,543.76 (a cash freeze)"

In Recommendation 4, delete “ ...to be proposed by the Leader” and insert “as amended)”

In accordance with Procedure Rule 18.4, a recorded vote was called, whereupon Councillors Arbour, Bennett, Bouchier, Cranfield-Adams, Fleming, Head, Hodgins, Howard, Marlow, Morris, Palmer, Parsons, Porter, Samuel, Seymour, True and Urquhart voted in favour of the amendment; Councillors Allen, Beevor, Cardy, Carr, Cole, Coombs, Davies, Dodds, Eady, Elengorn, Elloy, Hodges, Jaeger, Jones, Knight, Lourie, Miller, Morgan, Mumford, Nicholson, Sheehan, Stanier, Stratton, Treble, Trigg, Warren, Williams, Michael Wilson and Munira Wilson voted against the amendment; The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor did not vote.

Therefore the amendment was declared to be LOST.

Councillor Parsons moved, seconded by Councillor Howard,

To Recommendation 1

At end insert -
"except that extra resources, initially of £35,000, be applied to provide daily hot meal delivery to existing and new elderly service users who wish no change in the current system and that provision be vired in 2009/10 by reducing expenditure on Council public relations."

In accordance with Procedure Rule 18.4, a recorded vote was called, whereupon Councillors Arbour, Bennett, Bouchier, Cranfield-Adams, Fleming, Head, Hodgins, Howard, Marlow, Morris, Palmer, Parsons, Porter, Samuel, Seymour, True and Urquhart voted in favour of the amendment; Councillors Allen, Beevor, Cardy, Carr, Cole, Coombs, Davies, Dodds, Eady, Elengorn, Elloy, Hodges, Jaeger, Jones, Knight, Lourie, Miller, Morgan, Mumford, Nicholson, Sheehan, Stanier, Stratton, Treble, Trigg, Williams, Michael Wilson and Munira Wilson voted against the amendment; Councillor Warren abstained; The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor did not vote.

Therefore the amendment was declared to be LOST.

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be CARRIED.

RESOLVED:

(1)               That the Revenue Budget for 2009/10 be agreed.

(2)               That the Richmond upon Thames’ element of the Band D Council Tax be set at £1,287.39 (an increase of £53.45 or 4.33%) be agreed.

(3)                                                              That that the overall Band D level of Council Tax for 2009/10 including the GLA element be set at £1,597.21, an overall increase of 3.46% be agreed. 

(4)                                                              That it be noted that at its meeting on 27th January 2009 the Council calculated the amount of 88,275.61 as its Council Tax base for the year 2009-2010 in accordance with regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992 made under Section 33(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

(5)                                                              That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2009-2010 in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government and Finance Act 1992:-

(a)   £396,822,700      being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32(2) (a) to (e) of the Act

(b)   £255,562,500      being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 32(3) (a) to (c) of the Act

(c)   £141,260,200      being the amount by which the aggregate at 2 (a) above exceeds the aggregate at 2 (b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 32 (4) of the Act, as its budget requirement for the year

(d)    £27,615,495       being the aggregate of the sums which the Council estimates will be payable for the year into its General Fund in respect of redistributed non-domestic rates, revenue support grant, or additional grant increased by the amount of the sums which the Council estimates will be transferred in the year from its Collection Fund to its General Fund in accordance with Section 97 (3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Council Tax surplus) and increased by the amount of any sum which the Council estimates will be transferred from its Collection Fund to its General Fund pursuant to the Collection Fund (Community Charges) directions under section 98 (4) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (Community Charge surplus) made on 7th February 1994.

(e)       £1,287.39        being the amount at 2 (c) above less the amount at 2 (d) above, all divided by the amount at 1 above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 33 (1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax  (Band D) for the year

(f) Valuation bands

being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at 2 (e) 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 which in that proportion is applicable to 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

(6)               That it be noted that for the year (2009-2010) the major precepting authority has stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of the dwellings shown below:-

(7)               That, having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 2 (f) and 3 above, the Council, in accordance with Section 30 (2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the following amounts of council tax for the year (2009-2010) for each of the categories of dwelling shown below:-

            Valuation Bands

(8)               That the Director of Finance and Corporate Services be authorised to institute legal proceedings where necessary for the collection of the aforesaid Council Tax and Non Domestic Rates.