Agenda item

Council considered a report on Council Tax Setting and Resolutions, which made recommendations for Doncaster’s Council Tax requirement for 2016/17.

Mayor Ros Jones presented the report which identified the proposals for a 3.95% Council Tax increase, which had been outlined in the Revenue Budget report agreed by Council earlier in the meeting.

The Mayor reported that the proposal included an increase in Council tax of 1.95% as set out in the 3 year budget plan and in addition, the government’s 2% social care ‘levy’, would be implemented, which was announced by the Chancellor George Osborne in the Autumn Statement. All of the additional money raised will be used to help manage the growing pressure on adult social care services.

Council noted that the 2% social care precept would equate to £1.77m in additional income for the Council. However it was pointed out that this would not cover all the additional costs and spending pressures in social care that were continually rising, with these estimated to be over £7m for the next financial year.

Mayor Jones outlined to Members that the proposal meant a total Council Tax increase of 66 pence per week for a Band A property – this included the Fire Service and Police precept and was representative of the majority of homes in Doncaster. However, it was pointed out that this excluded Town and Parish Council precepts where relevant. Nonetheless, despite the rise, at this stage it was expected that of the 91 Metropolitan districts and Unitary authorities across the country, Doncaster would still have the seventh lowest Council Tax in 2016/17.

The Mayor stated that she had considered long and hard whether to propose a Council Tax increase of almost 4%, but concluded that it would be irresponsible not to. Given the scale of government cuts facing Doncaster, it was felt necessary in order to uphold the Council’s responsibility to ensure that public services were to be sustained in the future.

The Mayor concluded by stating that the government could have chosen not to cut Council funding so dramatically, but instead its clear direction of travel was to increase Council Tax. As the money raised from this Council Tax increase would go some small way towards mitigating the effects of these cuts, Mayor Ros Jones therefore commended the report to Council.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 21.4, a recorded vote was taken on the recommendations contained within the report, which was declared as follows:-

            For – 50

The Chair of Council, Councillor Paul Wray, the Vice-Chair of Council, Councillor David Nevett, the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, Deputy Mayor, Councillor Glyn Jones and Councillors Nick Allen, Nigel Ball, Iris Beech, Joe Blackham, Rachel Blake, Elsie Butler, Phil Cole, John Cooke, Tony Corden, Jane Cox, Steve Cox, Jessie Credland, Linda Curran, George Derx, Susan Durant, Neil Gethin, Sean Gibbons, Pat Haith, James Hart, John Healy, Rachel Hodson, Charlie Hogarth, Sandra Holland, Mark Houlbrook, Eva Hughes, Alan Jones, Ken Keegan, Majid Khan, Jane Kidd, Ted Kitchen, Pat Knight, Sue Knowles, Chris McGuiness, Sue McGuinness, John McHale, Bill Mordue, John Mounsey, Jane Nightingale, David Nevett, Andy Pickering, Kevin Rodgers, Craig Sahman, Dave Shaw, Alan Smith, Clive Stone, Austen White and Sue Wilkinson.

            Against – 0

            Abstain – 0

On being put to the meeting, the recommendation contained within the report was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED that Council Approved the level of Council Tax for 2016/17 and to pass the appropriate statutory resolutions as set out and recommended at Appendix B, including the Council Tax requirement for 2016/17 including:-