Report No.6/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for Resources.

Mr Gordon Brown, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report the purpose of which was to set out the proposals for fees and charges for services provided by the Council for the financial year 2019/20.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         Taxi and vehicle licensing fees were subject to a separate review.

·         It was important that fees and charges were set at an appropriate level to maximise income.

·         Some fees and charges were set at a statutory level and others were discretionary. The basic principle applied to discretionary fees was to increase by inflation unless there was a business case to do otherwise.

·         Gambling fees had doubled to bring them into line with Peterborough City Council who delivered this service on the Council’s behalf.

·         The Green Waste Management Charge would not be increased this year and for those on benefits there would be a small reduction.

·         Grave fees were being increased in line with neighbouring authorities.

·         Licences for closing roads and for skips, scaffolding etc. had been revised to cover the true costs to the authority.

·         Following representations from shop owners in Uppingham and Oakham and a subsequent review of parking charges, the first 30 minutes of parking in all car parks would now be free of charge. All car parks would also now be treated the same and they would no longer be categorised as short or long stay.

·         In order to encourage a cashless approach to parking, the Council would absorb the 20p charge for using the RinGo service.

·         Parishes had been asked to pay for the May 2019 elections themselves and had been offered an option of repaying over a four year period.

·         The 30 minutes of free parking operation was being monitored to ensure that it was used correctly and drivers were not overstaying their time. The monitoring was currently operated by the Council’s own parking enforcement officers.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

1.    To APPROVE the level of fees and charges for 2019/20 as set out in Appendices 1-4 with the exception of taxi and private hire vehicle licenses.

2.    To NOTE that taxi and private hire vehicle licenses fees will be subject to consultation through a public notice procedure and be brought back for approval following that consultation.

Reasons for the decision

The annual review of fees and charges is an integral part of the budget and council tax setting process and is also to ensure the Council is compliant with legislative guidance.  It is therefore recommended that Cabinet approve the proposals set out in the document.

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Ms K Kibblewhite joined the meeting

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