Agenda item

To receive a report from the Executive Director of Finance, Resources & Customer Services reviewing and seeking approval to changes in the local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2017/18, which the Council is required to produce under section 13A(1)(a) and meeting 1A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

 

The report also recommends the 2017/18 council tax and business rate bases.                                                                                (Report No. 190)

(Key Decision – Reference Number:  4430)

 

Members are asked to note that for ease of reference, Appendix A to this report will be provided separately to the main agenda and will be listed as a supplementary pack on the Council’s website.  This report has been marked as “To Follow”. 

 

The NNDR 1 DCLG Business Rate Base Return (Appendix E) has also been marked as “To Follow”.

Councillor Lemonides proposed and Councillor Levy seconded the report from Executive Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services reviewing and seeking approval to changes to in the local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2017/18, which the Council is required to produce under section 12A(a) and meeting 1A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.   The report also recommended the 2017/18 Council tax and business rate bases. 

 

NOTED

 

1.               This had to be agreed before the 31 January 2017.

2.               The report recommended an increase in the minimum contribution for working age households not in a protected group to 26.5%.  This was in line with wider funding reductions and to ensure that the scheme was self-funding. 

3.               This was an opportunity to simplify the administration in anticipation of the introduction of universal credit.  Residents will be consulted further in 2017/18.

4.               There had been an increase of 726 properties in the borough.  The business rate income was estimated to increase by £3.9m to £114,166,246.  Enfield’s rate retention share would be £34,249,874, an increase of £1.2m.      

5.               The Opposition Leader’s acceptance of the report.

6.               Some concern about what was seen as an unprecedented attack by Government on all local government, taking away funding and adding responsibilities.  

 

The recommendations were then put to the vote and agreed with the following result:

 

AGREED

 

1.              To approve the Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2017/18 to provide financial support for households on low incomes in paying their Council Tax taking into account the consultation responses (Appendix C) and the Equality Impact Assessment (Appendix B).

 

2.              For the 2017/18 scheme, the minimum contribution for working age households not in a protected group will increase from 25% to 26.5% to ensure the scheme retains the principle of a fully-funded scheme.

 

3.              There are also statutory regulation amendments and national uprating of social security benefit rates that have been incorporated into the scheme as set out in Section 6 in the report.

 

4.              Pursuant to this report (see Appendix D for full detail) and in accordance with the   Local Authorities (Calculation of the Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by the London Borough of Enfield as its Council Tax Base for 2017/18 shall be 95,043 Band D equivalents.

 

5.              To approve the Department for Communities and Local Government NNDR1 Business Rate base return for 2017/18 (Appendix E). 

 

6.              To approve the amendment to the discretionary rate relief scheme as set out at 2.2 of Appendix E to the report. 

 

In accordance with the requirements introduced in February 2014, under the Standing Order Regulations 2014, a recorded vote was taken in relation to decisions 1-6 above, given their relevance to the budget setting process, with the result as follows:

 

For 52

 

Councillor Abdul Abdullahi

Councillor Daniel Anderson

Councillor Dinah Barry

Councillor Chris Bond

Councillor Yasemin Brett

Councillor Alev Cazimoglu

Councillor Nesil Cazimoglu

Councillor Erin Celebi

Councillor Lee Chamberlain

Councillor Bambos Charalambous

Councillor Katherine Chibah

Councillor Lee David-Sanders

Councillor Dogan Delman

Councillor Nick Dines

Councillor Guney Dogan

Councillor Sarah Doyle

Councillor Christiana During

Councillor Pat Ekechi

Councillor Nesimi Erbil

Councillor Peter Fallart

Councillor Krystle Fonyonga

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou

Councillor Christine Hamilton

Councillor Ahmet Hasan

Councillor Elaine Hayward

Councillor Robert Hayward

Councillor Ertan Hurer

Councillor Suna Hurman

Councillor Jansev Jemal

Councillor Doris Jiagge

Councillor Eric Jukes

Councillor Nneka Keazor

Councillor Michael Lavender

Councillor Derek Levy

Councillor Mary Maguire

Councillor Andy Milne

Councillor Terence Neville

Councillor Ayfer Orhan

Councillor Ahmet Oykener

Councillor Anne Marie Pearce

Councillor Daniel Pearce

Councillor Vicki Pite

Councillor Michael Rye

Councillor George Savva

Councillor Toby Simon

Councillor Alan Sitkin

Councillor Edward Smith

Councillor Andrew Stafford

Councillor Claire Stewart

Councillor Jim Steven

Councillor Doug Taylor

Councillor Glynis Vince

 

Against: 0

 

Abstentions: 0