Cabinet gave consideration to the report of the Executive Director that detailed the latest review of the Council’s fees and charges for 2020/21 and the proposed recommended increases.  Fees and charges were reviewed each year taking into account the increased need to recover the total cost of the services provided and the cost of inflation, assumed at 1.7%.  The anticipated income from these charges was built into the draft Revenue Budget for 2020/21.

The majority of the fees and charges within the appendices were recommended to increase at 1.7% with the following exceptions:

Car Parking (Appendix 4): In December 2017, it was agreed that car parking charges would remain unchanged until Civil Parking Enforcement was implemented and had been operation for some six months.  CPE was scheduled to commence in June 2020 and the Council’s CPE Task and Finish Group would be reconvened in December 2020.  Therefore, it was recommended that the car parking charges remained unchanged for 2020/21.

Garden Waste Collections (Appendix 5b): The charge for garden waste had been set in December 2015 at £35 and fixed until July 2019.  For comparison the garden waste subscription charges in neighbouring authorities were confirmed as Hastings £66; Eastbourne £52; Lewes £70 and Wealden £50 (under review).

The income generated from the current £35 per week charge per bin at the current rate of subscribers for 2019/20 was approximately £745,000, leaving a deficit of £35,000 against the annual operating costs and capital costs of the wheelie bins.  It was therefore recommended that the annual subscription be increased to £50 per annum which would result in an income of £939,000 and generate an annual surplus of £195,300.  There were no legal restrictions preventing the Council making a surplus from this activity and this provided a legitimate tool for Members to generate income for the Council to protect other services and assist in meeting the funding gap.

Members were not supportive of increasing the subscription to £50 which represented a 43% increase and agreed an increase of £5.00 per year over the next three years.   

Members requested that the soon to be established Anti-Poverty Task and Finish Group be tasked with looking at how the Council could support residents on low incomes across the district by reducing certain charges for residents who were in receipt of certain benefits.  Tasking this consideration to the Anti-Poverty Task and Finish Group would enable officers to take due legal advice and cost out any proposals coming forward in a considered way as part of the work of this Group.       

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (Appendix 6): It was recommended that the charges for scrap metal remain unchanged for 2020/21.

Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) (Appendix 7):  As a revisit to rate a premises under the FHRS was not a statutory duty, it was recommended that the scale of fees in the appendix to the report was introduced.

Health Certificates (for food exported) (Appendix 8): Food exported to countries outside the EU required a health certificate.    It was recommended that the scale of fees in the appendix to the report was introduced.

Export Health Certificates for fish and molluscs (BREXIT) (Appendix 9): Subject to future trading agreements post BREXIT, the exportation of fish / molluscs might require inspection and certification.  Therefore it was recommended that the fees in the appendix to the report be introduced and reviewed as required.

Houses of Multiple Occupation [HMO] Licences (Appendix 10):  A recent Supreme Court judgement had determined that local authorities must have two sets of fees.  One fee to cover the costs of applying for a licence (non-refundable) and one for issuing the licence and on-going enforcement.  It was recommended that the Council had a combined fee to reflect the reduced administration costs associated with only one fee being paid.  Therefore, it was recommended that the scale of fees in the appendix to the report was introduced.

RESOLVED: That:

1)     the charges shown in Appendices 1 – 6 be approved and brought into effect from 1 April 2020;

2)     the charges shown in Appendix 5(b) be brought in from July 2020;

3)     the charges in Appendix 9 be brought into effect from January 2020;

4)     garden waste charges be increased by £5 per annum over the next three years; and

5)     the Anti-Poverty Task and Finish Group be tasked with looking at how the Council could support residents on low incomes across the district by reducing certain charges for residents who were in receipt of certain benefits.