This report seeks consideration of the level of Council Tax for 2020/21 and the policy on reserves.  It also provides details of the Council's other sources of funding -  grant received from Government in the Local Government finance settlement, business rates and the requirement for the Council to generate income from a variety of projects.  For 2020/21, there are no new business rates pilots and therefore the North and West Yorkshire 75% pilot pool which was for one year in 2019/20 will finish 31 March 2020.  As a result, the Government regulations governing business rates retention will revert back to the 50% business rates pool scheme where the application submitted by North and West Yorkshire Pool on 25 October 2019 was successful.  The business rates model to be adopted ensures that authorities are no worse off in this North and West Yorkshire Pool, than they would be in a pre-2019/20 pilot pool.

In accepting the recommendations, Cabinet will approve and recommend to Council various decisions regarding the setting of the level of Council Tax.

The subject of the decision:

This report sought consideration of the level of Council Tax for 2020/21 and the policy on reserves.  It also provided details of the Council's other sources of funding  - grant received from Government in the Local Government finance settlement, business rates and the requirement for the Council to generate income from a variety of projects.  For 2020/21, there were no new business rates pilots and therefore the North and West Yorkshire 75% pilot pool which was for one year in 2019/20 would finish 31 March 2020.  As a result, the Government regulations governing business rates retention would revert back to the 50% business rates pool scheme where the application submitted by North and West Yorkshire Pool on 25 October 2019 was successful.  The business rates model to be adopted ensured that authorities were no worse off in this North and West Yorkshire Pool, than they would be in a pre-2019/20 pilot pool.

Alternative options considered:

None.

The reason for the decision:

To maintain the long term viability of the Council’s finances and ensure sustainability by investing in community projects as determined by the Council’s priorities and supporting the maintenance and enhancement of service delivery. To maintain the integrity of the Council’s financial strategy.

The Decision:

That Cabinet recommends to Council:-

(1)       That it be noted that on 15 January 2020 Hambleton District Council calculated the Council Tax Base for 2020/21:-

          (a)     for the whole Council area as 37,256.42  [Item T in the formula in Section 31B 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 as in the attached Annex A(1).

(2)       That the Council has calculated the Council Tax requirement for the Council's own purposes for 2020/21 (excluding Parish precepts) as £4,265,115

(3)     That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2020/21 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:-

(a)     District/Parish Gross Expenditure

          £ 48,006,456.82    being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils

(b)     District/Parish Gross Income (including Government Grants, use of Reserves and Collection Fund Surpluses etc)

          £ 42,187,844.99    being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act

(c)     District/Parish Net Expenditure

          £ 5,818,611.83       being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act)

(d)     Basic Amount of Tax (including average Parish Precepts)

          £ 156.1774             being the amount at 3(c) above (Item R) all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31B of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50