Agenda item

The Committee heard again from the Business Support Team Leader, detailing the proposed fees and charges to be implemented from 1 April 2025, and the budget implications which reflected both the impact of proposed amendments to fees, and the forecast demand for each service. It was highlighted that the proposed fees and charges schedules were provided at Appendices A, B and C. Service specific detail around performance and demand were included within the report at appendices one to 21.

Members heard that statutory fees accounted for 41% of the fees listed, the most significant in budgetary terms being planning application fees. Guidance issued by Government indicated that fees would be increased from 1 April 2025 in line with the CPI rate as of September, which was 1.7%. The income budget for this service area already included a 2.5% inflationary increase from 2025/26, therefore the impact on the MTFP was a reduction of £11,500 on the income budget. Officers were currently waiting for Government to release the fee schedule for next year and would report to Members once it was released.

In relation to those fees which were able to be set locally, where inflation had been applied this was at the rate of 3.5%. This reflected the impact of the pay award on service provision, with employee costs and officer time being the main cost driver for most of the proposed fees. RPI as of September was 2.7%, and an interest rate forecast for future years provided by the Council’s treasury advisors gave a forecast RPI for September 2025 of 3.1%.

Members were directed to section 3.6 of the report, which provided a list of all fees which were proposed to be increased above inflation. Those increases were the result of a benchmarking and cost recovery exercise for the services listed. In relation to the Garden Waste service, it had been possible to accommodate the increase in national insurance contributions within the proposed fee of £46 for 18 collections per year, which was an increase of £2, or 4.5%, from 20245/25.

It was highlighted that where no increase was proposed, this was to ensure that the Council maintained or increased market share whilst remaining comparable to benchmarking data. No increase was proposed at this time for car parking, market stallage fees, and new and replacement waste bins. The Committee heard the impact of the fees and charges review on the MTFP from 2025/26 was an increase in income of £49,100, rising to £64,300 in 2029/2030.

It was also highlighted that there were two new non-statutory fees proposed, those being:

1. Under the planning Pre-App Advice schedule:

·         An application check for Validation, which was an optional service to check that planning applications were valid prior to submission. Full details were included in the report at section 5.8.

2. Under Planning Policy:

·         a S106 Monitoring fee, to recover the cost of monitoring s106 agreements from the relevant parties. Full detail of the proposal was included at Appendix 18

Members were asked to recommend the proposed fees to Full Council for approval, and for inclusion within the 2025/2026 revenue budget.

Members voiced their support for the report, noting that increases were closely managed, with Council costs increasing at a time when Local Government Settlements were at an all-time low. It was highlighted that the Council provided award-winning services, and fees were increased where there was no choice but to increase them. The additional non-statutory fees were welcomed.

With regard to waste services, it was requested that Members be provided with the cost to the Council of the blue sacks provided for roadside collections. It was confirmed this would be shared. It was also requested that the Communities Team be contacted as to whether it was possible to instal defibrillators in Council carparks, thereby increasing the accessibility to the machines.

Having been proposed and seconded, the Chairman took the vote, and it was

RESOLVED that Members recommend to Full Council for approval and inclusion within the 2025/2026 Revenue Budget the proposed Fees and Charges at Appendix A, as well as those recommended by Prosperous Communities Committee detailed at Appendices B and C* (*commercially sensitive).