Agenda item

Members gave consideration to a report which detailed proposed fees and charges for service areas and functions, within its purview, to take effect from 1 April 2017.

In presenting the report, the following points were highlighted to Members: -

The 2017/18 process had been informed by benchmarking work undertaken in 2016/17 and looked at trends in costs/income and demand to inform proposals for charges.

Inflationary increases of 2.2% had been applied for most non statutory fees, however, no increases had been applied to Markets (as they were currently under review), or Car Parking (as the Car Parking Strategy had been approved late in 2016 and a review would be undertaken in 2017).

Cemeteries were proposing a 130% increase in burial rates, to work towards cost recovery, as on benchmarking the service, the charge currently applied was considerably lower than comparators.  It was noted that the Council only had responsibility for two burial sites across the District.

In light of new legislation, namely the Unauthorised Deposits of Waste (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 2016, which gave the Council new powers to fine culprits of fly-tipping, two new charges were proposed verbally.  The new Regulations allowed the Council to raise fines between £150 and £400 for an offence and to offer a minimum early payment discount of £120.  In the light of this, the charges Members gave consideration to a report which detailed proposed fees and charges for service areas and functions, within its purview, to take effect from 1 April 2017.

In presenting the report, the following points were highlighted to Members: -

The 2017/18 process had been informed by benchmarking work undertaken in 2016/17 and looked at trends in costs/income and demand to inform proposals for charges.

Inflationary increases of 2.2% had been applied for most non statutory fees, however, no increases had been applied to Markets (as they were currently under review), or Car Parking (as the Car Parking Strategy had been approved late in 2016 and a review would be undertaken in 2017).

Cemeteries were proposing a 130% increase in burial rates, to work towards cost recovery, as on benchmarking the service, the charge currently applied was considerably lower than comparators.  It was noted that the Council only had responsibility for two burial sites across the District.

In light of new legislation, namely the Unauthorised Deposits of Waste (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 2016, which gave the Council new powers to fine culprits of fly-tipping, two new charges were proposed verbally.  The new Regulations allowed the Council to raise fines between £150 and £400 for an offence and to offer a minimum early payment discount of £120.  In the light of this, the charges being proposed were a £400 fine reduced to £250 if paid within 10 days and these would be included in Appendix E – Fixed Penalty Notice Charges

Debate ensued and Members sought and received assurance that any decision made now, in relation to the Markets, would not prejudice any forthcoming decision regarding its operation.

Members welcomed the new legislation and the powers it provided the Authority and were supportive of the fees being set at the levels proposed.  Members commented on the considerable costs associated with removing fly-tipping and suggested that greater use be made of the new digital CCTV system.  The Chief Operating Officer advised that investigations were ongoing as to whether CCTV could be used in some of the most notorious hotspots, however the Authority needed to ensure it complied with all aspects of the RIPA regulations and other associated issues, hence it was not a simple process.

Whilst no increase was being proposed with regard to Car Parking, some Members again re-iterated their disapproval at charges being introduced in Market Rasen and were of the view that these would be detrimental to the Town and its businesses.  Another Member suggested that the whole Strategy was flawed, had been developed from a financial basis only, not taking into consideration economic development and business support and did not have the backing of the Senior Leadership in its entirety.

Officers re-iterated that the charges would be reviewed 6 months after implementation as previously resolved by the Committee.  Officers were also working on establishing economic base-line data for the town, in order to understand the position better.  Concern was expressed that within 6 months, irreversible damage would be done and Officers were urged to review the charges sooner.   This was disputed and whilst acknowledging that the market town was struggling to retain businesses, this could not simply be attributed to parking charges, but likely due to wider economic factors, hence the bench mark data, referred to earlier, being collated.  Parking was currently free and yet business turnover remained high.  Cause and effect would need to be established and other Members were not of the belief that this could simply be attributed to parking charges.

On that basis it was:-

RESOLVED that: -

(a)       having considered the proposed fees and charges, as detailed in Appendix A - L of the report, they be RECOMMENDED to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for approval;

(b)       Managers keep fees and charges under review throughout the year in order to either implement changes during the year if required, or to feed into the following years Medium Term Financial Plan; and

(c)       the two additional fees, proposed verbally on the night, namely fixed penalty notices made under the Unauthorised Deposits of Waste (Fixed Penalty) Regulations 2016 (£400 for an offence reduced to £250 if paid within 10 days), be incorporated into the Schedule of Fixed Penalty Notice Charges detailed in Appendix E, and be RECOMMENDED to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for approval.