Issue - meetings

Council Tax Base 2019/20

Meeting: 14/12/2018 - Council (Item 78)

78 Council Tax Base 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 123 KB

To set the Council Tax Base for 2019/20 in respect of the whole Borough and all constituent parts so that each precepting parish can subsequently set their Council Tax budgets for the year.

 

RECOMMENDATION Council is asked to:

 

1)        agree the proposed Council Tax Base, for the whole area and by Parish, as set out in the report;

 

2)        approve the proposed allocation of £20,000 grant to the parishes in respect of council tax reduction as set out in the council tax base table;

 

3)        agree a Premium payment of 100% (increased from 50%) on those homes that have been empty and unfurnished for a period of two years or more.

Minutes:

The Council considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 7 to 11, which gave details of the proposed Council Tax Base (the number of properties liable for Council Tax) for 2019/20.

 

The report stated that every local authority must ensure that their Council Tax Base for the forthcoming financial year was approved by the Council by 31st January. This year’s Tax Base calculations showed that with a total of 67,635 properties on the Council Tax register at 1st October 2018, after making all relevant adjustments the proposed Tax Base of Band D equivalents was 70,176.60 for 2019/20.

 

The report also recommended an allocation of £20,000 to Towns and Parishes to offset some of the reduction in the Council Tax Base for them arising from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which replaced Council Tax benefit in 2013.

 

Finally, the report recommended increasing the Empty Homes Premium on long-term empty properties (two years or more) from 50% to 100%. This would encourage owners of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use.

 

It was proposed by Julian McGhee-Sumner and seconded by Stuart Munro that the recommendations set out in the report be approved.

 

On being put to the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1)     the proposed Tax Base, for the whole of the area and by Parish, as set out in the report, be approved;

 

2)     the proposed allocation of £20,000 grant to the Parishes in respect of Council Tax reduction, as set out in the Council Tax Base Table, be approved;

 

3)     a premium payment of 100% (increased from 50%) on those homes that have been empty and unfurnished for a period of two years or more, be approved.