Issue - meetings

Report of the Director (Policy and Governance)

This item was considered at item 5 on the agenda. 

Report of the Director (Policy and Governance)

To recommend Council to approve:

1.    A fees and charges policy for the Council’s discretionary fees and charges.

2.    Amendments to the Council’s current fees and charges to be implemented as at 1 April 2018

3.    Increases in the Council’s 2018/19 income budgets

The Executive Member (Resources) presented the report of the Director of Policy and Governance which created a fees and charges for Chorley Council.   This creates a framework for revising current fees and charges as well as guide to introducing new charges.  

The aims of the new fees and charges policy are to provide a consistent framework for the review of the council’s current fees and charges as well as guidance to introducing new charges.

The policy introduces some key principles of which two principles are not always achievable simultaneously:

1.    Fees and charges should be set to assist the Council in achieving its strategic priorities.  Services must raise income wherever there is a duty to do so, and should raise income wherever there is a power to do so, unless the introduction of a charge would prohibit the achievement of specific corporate and service objectives.

2.    In line with legislation, fees and charges should be set to recover full costs including overheads.  Where the service user is subsidised by tax payer this should be transparent and the reasons for this subsidy is made explicit.

It is proposed that a review of fees and charges will be taken annually to Executive Cabinet in January alongside the draft budget report.  This will be after the approval of the Council’s Corporate Strategy therefore ensuring that fees and charges are consistent with the strategy.

Members highlighted the possibility that charges for bulky items could increase fly tipping.  This will be kept under review. 

Decision:

To recommend Council approve:

1.    A fees and charges policy for the Council’s discretionary fees and charges.

2.    Amendments to the Council’s current fees and charges be implemented as at 1 April 2018

3.    Increases in the Council’s 2018/19 income budgets

Reasons for recommendation(s):

The council requires a framework for reviewing and amending fees and charges so that reviews are conducted frequently and consistently. A new framework will also assist the council when considering the introduction of new charges.

The council should endeavour, when it is legal and feasible to do so, to charge users to meet the full cost of providing services.

Alternative options considered and rejected:

To continue without a fees and charges policy could result in fees and charges not being regularly reviewed such that services are over or under charged for.

Without a regular review of fees and charges, new opportunities to introduce new services and charges may be missed.