Agenda item

Scrutiny of 2021/22 Fees and Charges proposals

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, the Chief Financial Officer and the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure have been invited to attend for this item.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, the Chief Financial Officer and the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure to the meeting.

 

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report.  He said that discretionary services must pay for themselves and there was little change to the Fees and Charges from the previous year, to reflect the difficult financial times. 

 

The Chairman advised that Appendix II on pages 52 -69 listed the fees and charges set by Government which Swale Borough Council (SBC) had no discretion over.  He invited Members to ask questions on the fees and charges set out in Appendix I which Members considered page by page.

 

In response to a Member’s question on the process if a suitable contract for pest control was not appointed as in recommendation (2), the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure explained that SBC promoted the contractor, the contract was currently out for tender, and he was confident that contractors would come forward.  In the debate that followed, Members raised concern that the Council were not just an advisory service and that it was required to go through the full tender process to select a contractor. 

 

Page 9

 

In response to a Member’s question on how the private disabled works charge worked, the Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 11

 

In response to a Member’s question on what Con 29 was, the Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 14

 

A Member sought clarification on the time limitation charges on electric charging points in car parks and the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure confirmed there was only a cost charge if a vehicle used the facility during the car park fee-paying period.  In the discussion that followed the Cabinet Member for Environment said that the use of the charging points could be monitored and the costs of installing charging points was already in the budget.  The Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure added that the current costs outside of fee-paying hours was negligible, but 2021 was a key year for electric vehicle provision and the costs would be scrutinised and fees set accordingly.

 

Page 15

 

A Member sought clarity on the car park season tickets in the Borough and the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure confirmed the Multi-Storey Car Park was not included and would amend the wording in the document.

 

Page 22

 

A Member referred to the fees for Travelling Fairs which was raised at the Cabinet meeting on 28 October 2020. The Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure said that separating the fees for fairs between local and commercial fairs would be discussed and he advised that the report would be updated for Members to consider at the next Full Council meeting in January 2021.

 

Page 26

 

A Member spoke positively on the popularity of the garden waste bins but warned that the higher than inflation increase in fees could discourage subscribers.  He said a 1.5% increase would be fairer and would encourage users of the scheme.  In response the Cabinet Member for Environment said that the fee had not been raised for many years, it was not index-linked and the £40 fee was still excellent value for money.  He explained that it was still one of the cheapest fees in Kent and that there was no fee for brown bins on top.  Other Members raised points which included:

 

·        A small rise brought SBC into line with other authorities;

·        the Council were facing financially difficult times;

·        the public already paid to have their rubbish taken away so should not have to pay an additional fee;

·        could see no reason for the increase;

·        £3 was only a small increase;

·        some other authorities did not collect garden waste at all;

·        feedback from public was that it was good value for money; and

·        supported the increase.

 

In response to question on the new waste contract, the Cabinet Member for Environment said it was currently being negotiated, and even if the contract was a like for like contract, there would still be a substantial increase in costs.

 

Page 27

 

In response to a Member’s question on the cost of additional litter bins, the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure explained that if any Parish Council requested additional litter bins, there was a provision to buy at a better rate.

 

Page 28

 

The Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure advised Members that the Council, as part of the Kent Resource Partnership, had written to Magistrates to seek a less lenient approach to those convicted of fly tipping.

 

Page 31

 

A Member asked why the kennels used to house stray dogs was based out of the Borough?  The Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure explained that there were no suitable kennels in the Borough willing to come forward and the kennels used were in Medway and provided an excellent service.  A Member said finding suitable kenneling facilities was historic.

 

Page 33

 

In response to a Member’s question on Environmental Health Certificates for transit through non-EU countries to destination country, the Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out what the position might be after January 2021 when the UK was due to leave the European Union.  Members agreed to change the wording to read ‘EHC for transit through any country…’.

 

Page 40

 

A Member asked why some betting establishments were not being charged the statutory maximum fee.  In the debate that followed, a Member said that the fees were set according to the type of gambling, and community activities such as bingo were set lower.

 

Councillor Elliott Jayes proposed that fees for betting premises on pages 41 to 46, except bingo clubs, should be considered further and raised to the maximum level.  This was seconded by Councillor Ken Pugh.  On being put to the vote, Members agreed.

 

A Member drew attention to the length of time the Street Trading Policy had been under review.

 

Page 47

 

A Member asked whether any Pleasure Boat Licenses had been issued.  The Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 48

 

A Member asked whether the application fee for pavement licences was for traders only?  The Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 50

 

There was a discussion on the room hire of Swale House.  The Chief Financial Officer explained that rooms would not be hired out for the immediate future, but the fees could be looked at again for the 2022/23 budget, after the refurbishment of Swale House.  A Member suggested a change to the comment to say “Review suspended pending refurbishment of building.”

 

In response to a Member’s question on whether equipment was included in the hire fee, the Chief Financial Officer advised that most hirers were non-commercial organisations, but this could be looked at in the future.

 

Page 51

 

A Member sought clarification on how long and the duration of each session to hire a room at The Guildhall, Faversham.  The Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 52

 

In response to a Member’s question on what constituted a mobile home site, where the changes were set out and whether the costs had been estimated, the Chief Financial Officer agreed to find out.

 

Page 72

 

A Member sought information on the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on parking enforcement and how parking habits had changed.  In response, the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure said that there was a predicted loss of income of penalty charges as there were fewer vehicle movements.  He added that there needed to be a blend of enforcement whilst adhering to Government regulations.  The Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure confirmed that the Council would need to drawdown the surplus from previous years to stabilise the budget.

 

The Chairman thanked the Leader, the Chief Financial Officer and the Head of Commissioning, Environment and Leisure for their attendance and contribution.

 

Recommended:

 

The Scrutiny Committee notes the report and makes the following recommendation to Cabinet:

 

(1)  That the Scrutiny Committee asks Cabinet to consider maximising the fees for betting premises on pages 41 to 46 of the Agenda, with the exception of bingo clubs.

Supporting documents: