Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Officer Resources.

Councillors J. Gardner, W. Hodgins, E. Jones, D. Rowberry, J. Thomas and H. Trollope declared an interest in this item but remained in the meeting whilst it was considered.                                                                                   

Consideration was given to the report of the Chief Officer Resources.

The Leader of the Council referred to paragraph 2.2 of the report and advised that the final settlement now included a transfer of funding into the local government settlement, which related to Fire & Rescue Authority Pensions.  The value of this grant amounted to £5.8m nationally across Wales and had increased Blaenau Gwent’s final settlement to £139,730,490.  Members were advised that the Council had previously agreed to passport the increase of £130,000 to the Fire & Rescue Authority, therefore, the Council’s budget requirement had now increased from £178,034,276 to £178,164,692.

Consequently, changes would be required to some of the figures contained in the report, however, it was emphasised that this amendment would not change the Council’s position in respect of the use of reserves or the increase in the council tax level.

Therefore, to reflect the increase in the final settlement the following amounts contained within the report would be amended as follows:

Paragraph 3.1.2 – this figure would now be amended to £178,164,692.

Paragraph 5.1.7 (a) – this figure would now read £178,164,692.

Paragraph 5.1.7 (c) – this figure would now read £139,730,490.

Paragraph 5.1.13 – the figure in the first sentence would be amended to read £178,164,692.  

Paragraph 5.1.14 – the Revenue Support Grant figure would now be amended to read £117,692,418, increasing the total net revenue budget to £182,432,694.

It was, thereupon unanimously,

RESOLVED, subject to the foregoing, that the report be accepted and Option 1 be endorsed, namely that the:

-        Council Tax Resolution detailed below, be approved.

-        Statutory budget requirement of £178,164,692 detailed below, be approved.

-        Use of the specific reserves identified totalling £4.26m (paragraph 5.1.16 of the report) be approved.

5.1.2 The Council agreed at its meeting on 23^rd February 2023, a Council Tax increase of 3.45% for the 2023/2024 financial year.  As a result, the Blaenau Gwent Council element of the full council tax charge would be:-

5.1.3 At its meeting in December 2022 the Council agreed the Council Tax base for tax setting purposes be 20,806.70 for 2023/24, this being the total number of chargeable dwellings in each area adjusted for a number of items e.g., discounts payable, multiplied by the assumed collection rate of 95%.

5.1.4 In addition, in accordance with Regulation 6 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992, the amount of its Council Tax base for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate were:

5.1.5  The above representing the number of chargeable dwellings to which the Town & Community Council’s precept would apply.

5.1.7 That the following amounts be now calculated by the Council for the year 2023/2024 in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and sections 47 and 49 of the Local Government Act 1988 (as amended):

5.1.8 The amounts given by adding to the amount at (f) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned above divided in each case by the amount at 5.1.3 above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate were:

5.1.9 The amounts given by multiplying the amounts at (f) and (g) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation Band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands were:

5.1.10 That it be noted that for the year 2023/2024 the Gwent Office of Police and Crime Commissioner had stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council (totalling £6,752,190), in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings shown:

5.1.11 That, having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at (g) and 5.1.9 above, the Council, in accordance with section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the following amounts as the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2023/24 for each of the categories of dwellings shown below: