Issue - meetings

The proposed fees & charges policy is an essential element of the Council’s transformation programme and provides guidance on the setting of new charges and the policy context within which existing charges are to be reviewed. It confirms the Council’s approach to cost recovery and income generation and the governance processes that are to be followed to gain approval for discretionary services that are to be provided at a subsidy, i.e. at a cost to the general tax payer.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Corporate Overview Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1.    That the proposed fees and charges policy be adopted.

2.    That any discretionary services, whether currently provided free of charge or with some element of subsidy, will be subject to a full review including appropriate consultation before a decision is taken on whether the subsidy was to continue.

Reason for decision:

The Council was facing a serious financial situation which meant that its approach to the delivery of discretionary services, for which a charge is permissible, needed to be appropriate. The fees and charges policy ensured that a consistent, transparent and policy based approach was adopted by the Council in order to eliminate unintentional subsidies or reconsider subsidies that may no longer be supportable within the current financial context. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Corporate Overview Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Finance explained how the review of fees and charges was part of the Council’s transformation programme. The proposed policy provided guidance on the setting of new charges and the policy context within which existing charges are to be reviewed. It confirmed the Council’s approach to cost recovery and income generation and the governance processes.

RESOLVED:

1. That the proposed fees and charges policy be adopted.
2. That any discretionary services, whether currently provided free of charge or with some element of subsidy, will be subject to a full review including appropriate consultation before a decision is taken on whether the subsidy was to continue.

Reason for decision:

The Council was facing a serious financial situation which meant that its approach to the delivery of discretionary services, for which a charge is permissible, needed to be appropriate. The fees and charges policy ensured that a consistent, transparent and policy based approach was adopted by the Council in order to eliminate unintentional subsidies or reconsider subsidies that may no longer be supportable within the current financial context.