Corporate Policy and Resources Committee

 

 

 

Decisions taken at the meeting held on Monday, 10 February 2025.

 

 

Meeting Time:

7.00 pm

 

Meeting Venue:

Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB

 

 

 

 

PRESENT:    

 


<AI1>

4.            Proposed Fees and Charges for 2025-26

 

 

The Committee resolved to agree the Fees and Charges for 2025-26.

</AI1>

<AI2>

5.            Detailed Budget for 2025/26

 

 

The Committee resolved to recommend that Council consider and approve the following:

 

1.    To approve a 2.9% increase on the Spelthorne Borough Council element of the Council Tax for 2025-26. Moreover:

 

a.    The Revenue estimates as set out in Appendix 1 be approved.

 

b.    £400,100 as et out in this report are to be appropriated from Earmarked Reserves other than sinking fund reserves in support of Spelthorne’s local Council Tax for 2025-26.

 

c.    Net use of £5,037,300 of Earmarked Sinking Funds reserves.

 

d.    To agree that the Council Tax Base for the year 2025-26 is 40,620 Band D equivalent dwellings calculated in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992, as amended, made under Section 35(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

 

2.    Continuing the Council’s Local Council Tax Support Scheme with the current rules and regulations.

 

3.    Continuing the complete disregard of war pension/armed forces pension from benefit calculations.

 

4.    To note the Chief Finance Officer’s commentary in Section 4 of the report on the robustness of budget estimates and levels of reserves under Section 25 and 26 of the Local Government Act 2003.

 

5.    The Council Tax Base for the whole Council area for 2025-26. (Item T in the formula in Section 31b(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the ‘act’)) should be 40,620 band D equivalent dwellings and calculate that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purpose for 2025-26 is £228.86 Per Band D equivalent dwelling.

 

That the following sums be now calculated by the Council for the year 2025-26 in accordance with Section 31 to 36 of the Local Government Act 1992.

 

A

11,762,300

The Council’s estimated gross expenditure - being the aggregate of the amount which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (2) of the Act considering all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils.

B

-112,446,000

The Council’s estimated gross income -  being the aggregate of the amount which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (3) of the Act

C

9,296,300

The Council’s estimated net expenditure or budget requirement - being the amount by which the aggregate at (A) above exceeds the aggregate at (B) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A (4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year

D

228.86

The average band D Council Tax - being the amount at (C) above divided by the amount at 5c (above), calculated by the Council in accordance with Section31B (1) of the act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts)

E

0

The sum of the parish precepts - being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act.

F

228.86

Being the amount at (D) above less the result given by dividing the amount at (E) above by the amount at 5c (above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings on those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates.

 

 

That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2025-26 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as amended by the Localism Act 2011.

 

A

£

B

£

C

£

D

£

E

£

F

£

G

£

H

£

 

152.57

178.00

203.43

228.86

279.72

330.58

381.43

457.72

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<AI3>

6.            Capital Strategy 2025/26 to 2026/27

 

 

Committee resolved to recommend that Council approves the Capital Strategy as set out in the report.

 

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<AI4>

7.            Estimated 2025/26 to 2028/29 Capital Programme

 

 

The Committee resolved to recommend that Council approves the proposed Capital Programme for 2025/26 to 2028/29.

 

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<AI5>

8.            Car Park Management system award*

 

 

The Committee resolved to:

 

1.    Approve the tender award as set out in this report; and

 

2.    Delegate authority to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter into necessary legal documentation to formalise the appointment of the preferred contractor.

</AI5>

<AI6>

9.            Pay Policy 2025/26

 

 

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that the Pay Policy Statement is approved.

</AI6>

<AI7>

10.          Corporate Plan Progress Report

 

The Committee resolved to:

 

1.    Note the update on progress with the planned actions under each of the Corporate Plan priorities, which are summarised in Appendix A; and

 

2.    Agree to a review of the planned actions under the Corporate Plan to take account of the factors outlined in this report, in particular the proposed reorganisation of Local Government in Surrey and for progress with any revised prioritisation of actions to be reported back to the next meeting of this Committee.

 

 

</AI7>

<AI8>

11.          Urgent Actions

 

 

The Committee resolved to note the two urgent actions that had been taken since the last meeting.

</AI8>

<AI9>

12.          Forward Plan

 

 

The Committee resolved to note the contents of the Forward Plan.

 

 

 

 

 

</AI9>

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NOTES:-

 

(1)          Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:

 

(a)         Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;

(b)         Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;

(c)          Those decisions:

                                i.          reserved to full Council

                               ii.          on regulatory matters

                              iii.          on member conduct issues.

 

(2)          Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.

 

(3)          Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.

 

(4)          The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.

 

(5)          When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:

 

a.    Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or

 

b.    Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or

 

c.    Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.

 

(6)          Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.

 

(7)          The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

 

(8)          Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.

 

(9)          In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

 

(10)       In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.

 

(11)       The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on 13 February 2025.