Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Finance and Support Services submitted a report providing Members with an opportunity to review the current level of fees and charges within the remit of Community Scrutiny Committee.  The Head of Strategic Finance explained the key principles on which fees and types of charges were set and of the three types of charges levied. 

The Head of Strategic Finance reminded Members that the MTFP had been set based on an increase of 2.5% for fees and charges but this figure was an overall percentage, not necessarily levied on every fee/charge.  Heads of Service were currently drafting their budgets and any comments would be fed back to relevant Officers for further review by the joint meeting of Scrutiny Committees in 2016.  He stated that Corporate Business Scrutiny and Environment Scrutiny Committees had already reviewed their Fees and Charges and that Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee had requested more detail in respect of usage data against the fees and charges where the Authority had discretion. 

In response to a query from Councillor R Standley regarding the costs associated with dispensations for builders and what was charged when parking outside of a home being worked on, the Head of Strategic Finance explained that this was within the remit of Environment Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor G Cutting referred to the need to include comparative data, e.g. listing the number of dog breeding establishments in order to make an informed judgement.  The Head of Strategic Finance commented that Corporate Business Scrutiny had asked for information on volumes, whether a charge was statutory, full cost recovery or whether the Council had full discretion.

In response to a query by Councillor D Oldridge, the Head of Strategic Finance explained that customer satisfaction data would be included in future Service Plans.

The Committee agreed the report and supported the suggestion made at Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee regarding the inclusion of information about usage date (volumes) and comparative figures on fees and charges within the remit of Community Scrutiny Committee where the Authority had discretion.

RESOLVED – that the report be approved and that information about usage data (volumes) and comparative figures on fees and charges within the remit of Community Scrutiny Committee, be included in future reports where the Authority has discretion.