Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Lakhmana and Sweeting.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 12 January 2023 (attached).

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 January 2023 be agreed as a correct record. 

There were no declarations of interest in any matters before the Council. 

The Mayor noted that her Mayoral year had progressed quickly and that this would be the last whole meeting that she would be presiding over.  In the last week, all of the London Mayors had been invited to attend the Battle of Britain Bunker for a tour and a talk, followed by a vintage tea and lunch with entertainment. 

 

On 27 January 2023, the Mayor had attended a holocaust remembrance service held at St Margaret’s Church in Uxbridge, led by the local rabbi and attended by a range of multi-faith leaders.  She had also met with the new Deputy Lieutenant for Hillingdon, Ms Manju Malhi, and talked about further improving partnership working across the Borough. 

 

The Mayor advised that her final fundraising event would be an Irish night on 10 March 2023 and, as the last event had sold out within two weeks, she urged everyone to buy their tickets early to avoid disappointment. 

 

The Mayor thanked her husband and daughters for acting as her Consorts during her mayoralty, and thanked her mother and fellow Ward Councillors for the support that they had provided.

i)          Urgent Implementation of Decisions

 

The recent urgent decision taken were noted.

 

ii)       Members’ Allowances 2022/23

 

Councillor Edwards moved, and Councillor Bianco seconded, the motion as set out on the Order of Business and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That:

 

a)     the current Members’ Allowances Scheme be revoked as of 31 March 2023 and the new Scheme for 2023/24, as shown in Annex A, be approved for implementation from 1 April 2023.

 

b)     The Head of Democratic Services be authorised to increase the level of Members' Basic allowance in line with any subsequent annual pay award to staff for 2023/24.

 

iii)     Programme of Meetings 2023/24

 

It was noted that the Cabinet meeting shown on the report as 4 January 2024 had been moved to 11 January 2024.  Subject to this amendment, Councillor Edwards moved, and Councillor Bianco seconded, the motion and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the timetable of meetings for 2023/24 as set out in Annex B, be approved and the Head of Democratic Services in consultation with the Chief Whip of the Majority Party be authorised to make any amendments that may be required throughout the course of the year.

 

iv)     Review of Council Constitution

 

Councillor Edwards moved, and Councillor Bianco seconded, the motion as set out on the Order of Business and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the updated version of Chapter 7, ‘Planning Decisions’ of the Council's Constitution, as set out in Appendix C to the report, be approved.

To consider the recommendations of Cabinet which will be published, once agreed. The report to Cabinet is available in the Group Offices, on request to the Head of Democratic Services or online at:

 

https://modgov.hillingdon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=115&MId=4492

 

Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 will apply to the recommendations of this item. Any Member who is more than two months in arrears with their Council Tax or has arrears of Council Tax must declare that fact and not vote on this item.

 

Budget Conflict Resolution Procedures – Council is asked to consider the Cabinet’s proposals. It may adopt the proposals, submit objections to Cabinet or invite the Cabinet to make amendments specified by Council. If Council votes to object to the Cabinet proposals or to invite Cabinet to make amendments, then the Conflict Resolution Procedure will come into operation.

 

The Council meeting will be adjourned while a special meeting of the Cabinet is held, after which the Council will resume and consider any revised proposals submitted by the Cabinet or the reasons why the Cabinet disagrees with Council’s objections or proposed amendments. The budget would then be open for debate and amendment until a final decision is made.

 

Members are asked to note that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, recorded votes will be taken at the annual budget setting meeting on any motion, amendment to motion or substantive motion regarding the General Fund Revenue Budget, Housing Revenue Account and Capital Programme.

Councillor R Mills moved, and Councillor Davies seconded, the suspension of Council procedure rule 14.4 to allow unlimited speaking time for the mover and seconder of the motion and the principal speaker / mover and seconder of the amendment from the Labour Group. 

 

RESOLVED: That the mover and seconder of the budget motion and the principal speaker / mover and seconder of the principal amendment from the Labour Group be allowed unlimited speaking time on this item.

 

Councillor Goddard moved, and Councillor Edwards seconded, the budget recommendations as set out on the Order of Business. 

 

Councillor Mathers moved, and Councillor Curling seconded, the following amendment:

 

a)        That the Cabinet be invited to consider the Labour Group's amendments to the Cabinet's budget proposals set out in the Council Tax Resolution and report back to the Council;

 

b)        In relation to the General Fund Revenue Budget, the proposals are based on the budget proposals approved by Cabinet on 16 February 2023, subject to the following amendments;

 

c)        In relation to the General Fund Capital Budget, the proposals are based on the budget proposals approved by Cabinet on 16 February 2023, subject to the following amendments;

 

d)        In relation to the Housing Revenue Account Revenue Budget, the proposals are based on the budget proposals approved by Cabinet on 16 February 2023, subject to the following amendments;

 

e)        In relation to the Housing Revenue Account Capital Budget, the proposals are based on the budget proposals approved by Cabinet on 16 February 2023, subject to the following amendments;

 

Supporting Information for the above proposals:

 

Council Tax Levels and Medium Term Impact

 

1          The following amendments to Cabinet’s budget proposals have been developed in the context of the cost-of-living crisis, with the amendment including reductions in a number of the proposed uplifts to fees and charges and a number of additional service priorities being funded by additional savings proposals, with the most material being the closing of Scheme 1 within the Older People’s Discount and transferring claimants to Scheme 2.

 

2          Amendments to the Capital Programme outlined later in this document would result in a reduction in Capital Receipts, but maintains Prudential Borrowing at £81,149k, with amendments predominantly based around the reprioritisation of the Carbon Zero Initiatives capital programme budget.

 

3          These budget amendments include no change in the General Balances and maintains earmarked reserves at their current levels, maintaining these at £26,801k and £15,455k respectively.

 

Changes to 2022/23 Revenue Budget

 

4          Specific amendments to the 2023/24 budget proposals have been developed and set out in table 1 below. These proposals include:

 

5          Pilot to invest in greater Mental Health Support for in Community hubs: Providing a pilot in three locations to employ mental health support staff at a cost of £140k as a form of early intervention to help engage those who do not meet the thresholds of NHS support but need additional support to build resilience and self-confidence to prevent long-term poor health outcomes. This will have the impact of lessening demand of Council and NHS services of a small cohort that need extra support to thrive in the area they live.

 

6          Provision for maintaining bowls clubs and supporting individuals to engage: Providing the maintenance of the bowls greens with a £30k saving for efficiencies rather than the administration’s proposal to remove the maintenance support at £180k and buy them equipment to do it themselves. As part of their usual duties, officers will be tasked to support clubs to increase use of the bowling green thus sustaining their vital role with communities.

 

7          Libraries increasing the base line number of hours by removing tier 4 and opening lunchtimes: Proposes to increase staffing by 4 FTEs at a cost of £150k to add two hours on Saturdays to four libraires and open lunchtimes in nine libraries four days a week.

 

8          Reduction in First Parking Permit Fees to £25: In the current economic climate, the budget amendment includes reducing the charge of the first parking permit by two thirds to £25 per permit to support residents during the cost-of-living crisis, with the fee set to allow for the admin fee of issuing the permit to be recovered, this update adds £313k to the Council’s Savings Requirement.

 

9          Reduction in the Proposed Increase in Theatre Charges: This amendment includes reducing the increase in the theatre charges by 50%, reducing the saving by £53k in order to support the local arts services and protecting this area in order to ensure the continuity of these services.

 

10       Community Safety in Community Hubs (training officer): This reverses the majority of the saving of £72k in the budget proposals, to invest £60k in a training officer to support community hubs to focus and understand community safety issues and services to provide a local touch point for residents. This role will decentralise the team and help to prevent anti-social behaviour and resolve local issues as officers are more familiar with their own patch.

 

11       Review of Rural Activities Centre and other cross departmental community sites: This review will halt the savings attached to this site for six months, reducing the saving programme by £75k in order to work with stakeholders and cross departmentally as well as with the community site to provide business development support in order to identify opportunities and efficient cross working and income generation to support them to be sustainable. This may lead to future capital investment.

 

12       Reduce Fees: Blue Badge to £5 and theatre fees (limit to 15%) to promote local groups using them and promote sustainability.

 

13       Introduce Regulatory Officer for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs): Employing an officer to monitor HMOs and reduce the negative impact of HMOs on neighbours and costs on the Council. Including waste management, anti-social behaviour, and energy meter disputes information to tenants. This officer will also investigate the feasibility of a HMO landlord standards registration. The cost of this officer will be charged back through HMO application fees through the full cost recovery model. This post will contribute to future council savings through early prevention.

 

14       Feasibility Study on the transition to a carbon neutral fleet: The budget amendment includes a one-off feasibility study investigating the transition of the Council’s fleet to a carbon neutral service, with a corresponding investment included in the Capital Programme to be firmed up pending the outcome of the study. This investment will allow the Council to reduce emissions in the borough and reduce the Council’s carbon footprint.

 

15       Transformation – Investment in cross cutting bid writing teams: It is proposed that the Council invest in a team with the primary focus of securing additional funding from external sources, which could support both the Council’s own expenditure and could be developed to support voluntary sector organisations, with a view to later securing savings for the Council through preventative services. The investment of £180k in this team can be funded from capital receipts under Government direction, with a view to the team becoming self-financing and generating a net benefit for the Council from 2024/25 onwards.

 

16       Provide Hardship Contingency for those on low incomes using the Early Years Provision for 2023/24: This reverses part of the saving from increased fees in the Early Years Centres by setting up a Hardship Contingency of £16k to support those households facing financial difficulty that use the Early Years Centres and mitigate some of the increased fees in this area.

 

17       Saving Proposals: The budget amendment includes a number of savings proposals including the digitisation of Hillingdon People to make a saving against the printing and distribution costs saving £156k, a BID review of the communications team to save £100k, a reduction in the Mayor’s office budget of £50k and the closing of Scheme 1 of the Older People’s Discount, transferring existing claimants to Scheme 2, saving £735k, with these saving initiatives reducing spend by £1,041k per annum.

 

Table 1: Changes to 2023/24 General Fund Revenue Budget

 

	2023/24	2023/24
	£'000	£'000
Council Tax Requirement based on Cabinet Proposals		137,440
Pandemic Recovery		290
Investment in more Mental Health Support for in Community hubs	140
BID: Provision for maintaining and supporting bowls clubs support	150
Services to Residents		670
Libraries increasing the base line number of hours and opening at lunchtimes	150
Reduction in First Parking Permit Fees from the proposed £75 to £25	313
Reduce Fee: the increase in the Theatres charges (by 50%)	53
Community safety in Community hubs (training officer)	60
Transformation: Review of Rural Activities Centre	75
Reduce Fee: Blue Badge from the Proposed £10 to £5	19
Introduce Regulatory Officer for HMOs	60
Increase HMO Licence Fee	(60)
Finance & Corporate items		65
Feasibility Study on the transition to a carbon neutral fleet	65
Transformation: Investment in cross cutting bid writing teams	180
Transformation Capitalisation Funding	(180)
Children, Families & Education		16
Provide Hardship Contingency for those on low incomes using the Early Years Provision for 2023/24	16
Savings Proposals		(1,041)
Digitalisation of Hillingdon People	(156)
BID Review of Communications	(100)
Reduction to Mayors Office Budget	(50)
End Scheme 1 of the Older People's Discount & Transfer Claimants to Scheme 2	(735)
Change in Council Tax Requirement		0
Council Tax Requirement based on Labour Group Proposals		137,440

 

Changes to the General Fund Capital Programme

 

18       The following changes are proposed to the General Fund Capital Programme, which result in a £2,092k reduction in Capital Receipts, but maintain Prudential Borrowing at £81,149k over the life of the programme to 2027/28 based on the following amendments.

 

19       Review of the Capital Programme: The budget amendment proposes the removal the capital programmes from Falling Lane and Otterfield Road sites from the capital programme allowing time to work with the community to enhance the area. There is enough housing in the HFL pipeline to bring forward and the same can be done with a slightly less degree of success with the HRA pipeline.

 

20       this will reduce the Council’s Capital Programme by £2,092k to £366,518k, with the impact of the amendment also reducing Capital Receipts to £112,118k.

 

21       Reprioritisation of the Carbon Zero Initiatives Budget: It is proposed that the Carbon Zero Initiatives budget is reprioritised to focus on broader innovations and joint working across the project, redirecting £2,250k of the £25,000k for this purposed to provide funding for innovation in climate technologies, with a further £4,000k being utilised to support the transition to the electrification of the Council’s vehicle fleet, with this amendment complimenting the feasibility study included in the revenue budget updates.

 

22       Other Changes: Adds 25% of the Chrysalis capital programme budget to target environmental sustainability and community benefit i.e., solar panels on sports clubs.

 

Table 2: Capital Programme Changes

	Project Budget	Grants and Contributions	CIL	Capital Receipts	Prudential Borrowing
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
February Cabinet	368,610	144,546	28,705	114,210	81,149
Review of Capital Programme
Removal of Hillingdon First Limited Yiewsley Library buy back	(2,092)			(2,092)
Reprioritisation of Carbon Zero Initiatives Budget
Reallocated Climate zero Capital	(6,250)				(6,250)
Broader Innovation and joint working Capital Programme	2,250				2,250
Electrification of Council's Fleet Other Changes	4,000				4,000
Reallocated Chrysalis Capital (from 2024/25)	(1,000)				(1,000)
Redesignation from Chrysalis found for sustainability and Community benefit	1,000				1,000
Change from December Cabinet	(2,092)	0	0	(2,092)	(2,092)
February Cabinet	366,518	144,546	28,705	112,118	81,149

 

HRA Revenue Budget Changes

 

23    Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue budget amendments include a BID Review focused on customer service improvements for tenants including the reporting and speed of resolution of repairs that will deliver a £25k saving, with a further BID Review aimed at bringing the repairs function in-house on a net nil basis to have more control over the delivery of this service. This update will be offset through the contribution to financing the capital programme.

 

Table 3: HRA Revenue Changes

	2023/24	2023/24
	£'000	£'000
HRA Planned Use of Balances		(85)
BID review: Customer service improvements for tenants	(25)
BID Review: Net nil insourcing of the Housing Repairs Function	0
Contribution to Finance Capital Programme	25
HRA Planned Use of Balances from Labour Group Proposals		(85)
Change in HRA Planned Use of Balances from Labour Group Proposals		0

 

HRA Capital Budget Changes

 

24    HRA Capital budget amendments add £900k to the overall programme, giving a capital budget of £565,542k. The cabinet are proposing an extension pilot on council properties to a few dozen houses, the budget amendment would raise their energy rating and renewal energy capabilities at the same time in order to save money the HRA in the long term as part of the net zero carbon housing programme, adding £600k to the capital programme. Furthermore, an investment of £300k is proposed to pilot renewable energy in Supported Living schemes across the Council, starting off with a pilot at one site to assess financial viability. As these residents are also clients of the Adult Social Care service, the reduce service charge should have a positive impact on client contributions in this area and produce a saving for the General Fund.

 

Table 4: HRA Capital Changes

	2023/24	2023/24
	£'000	£'000
HRA Capital Budget		564,642
Carbon Extensions	600
Pilot Supported Living Renewable Energy Programme	300
HRA Capital Budget from Labour Group Proposals		565,542

 

Those speaking in support of the amendment noted that action had been included to tackle climate change and included provision for a pilot in 12 Council properties where a collaborative approach would be taken across teams to look at achieving the net zero target.  Work would also need to be started to enable the transition to a more sustainable fleet of Council vehicles and the opposition would be happy to work with the administration as a critical friend to help the Council achieve carbon neutrality. 

 

Residents had expressed concern about the sale of Council assets for “a quick buck” and the amendment showed support for residents and local businesses on issues that mattered to them, to help their local communities thrive.  It was suggested that a six month review be undertaken in relation to the withdrawal of support for voluntary sector grants to help these organisations to identify alternative sources of funding. 

 

Rather than closing libraries for periods during the day to save money, those in support of the amendment suggested that these venues be used to deliver the community hub model which would have less of an impact on Council services.  Other initiatives highlighted in the amendment included the decentralisation of community safety, the employment of an HMO officer, Hillingdon People being created as a primarily digital publication and a small reduction in the Mayor's budget.  It was also suggested that certain tiers of the older people's Council Tax discount scheme be merged to increase the Council's income. 

 

Those speaking against the amendment suggested that the proposals would put additional financial pressure on elderly residents who already suffered most from the rise in the cost of living.  It was also noted that, insofar as larger fleet vehicles were concerned, there were fewer options available and that consideration needed to be given to issues such as battery charging time. 

 

The Labour group had previously stated that the Council had been on the brink of bankruptcy, yet this had never happened.  It was noted that, although Hillingdon People was already available electronically, some residents were not confident with accessing this format. 

 

It was not clear where the additional funding required for the list of ad hoc posts and issues that made up the amendment would come from and it appeared that it would ultimately be paid for by the elderly in the Borough. 

 

The amendment was put to a recorded vote:

 

Those voting for: Councillors Abby, Basit, Burles, Curling, Dhot, Farley, Gardner, Garelick, Garg, Gill, Islam, Judge, Kaur, Mand, Mathers, Money, Nelson, Nelson-West, Punja, Sansarpuri and Singh.

 

Those voting against: The Mayor (Councillor Haggar), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Ahmad-Wallana), Councillors Banerjee, Bennett, Bhatt, Bianco, Bridges, Burrows, Reeta Chamdal, Roy Chamdal, Chapman, Choubedar, Corthorne, Davies, Denys, Edwards, Goddard, Gohil, Higgins, Lavery, Lewis, Makwana, D Mills, R Mills, O’Brien, Palmer, Riley, Smallwood, Sullivan and Tuckwell.

 

Those abstaining: None. 

 

The amendment was lost.

 

Those speaking in support of the original motion noted that these were challenging times and, as such, it was important to stabilise the Council's financial position with a prudent and realistic budget.  Courageous financial planning would ensure that savings were made whilst protecting services and Hillingdon would continue to have some of the lowest fees and charges in London.

 

The proposed budget had made provision for major projects such as the Hayes Regeneration Programme, creating 110 new homes by 2025 (and 740 in total).  The existing housing stock was also being redeveloped or extended and good progress had been made on the new West Drayton leisure centre, which was on track for completion by 2024.  Other works included the development of the stable block and café at Cranford Park, the move of Uxbridge Library to the Civic Centre and the redevelopment of Northwood Hills Library.  A high level of funding had also been set aside to maintain the roads and pavements across the Borough. 

 

The budget supported the continuation of a free weekly waste collection for residents and the roll out of the food waste collection.  Playgrounds were being refurbished, the new Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre (HOAC) development was on track for completion by 2024 and the Council remained committed to achieving zero carbon by 2030.

 

It was noted that care contracts had been remodelled and a review had been undertaken of the voluntary sector grants which would now move to a fully commissioned model.  Joint working had also resulted in positive outcomes such as a better discharge model, the prevention of hospital admissions from care homes and falls prevention. 

 

The Stronger Families Hub had been opened to provide a 24-hour gateway to improve outcomes for children and young people in the Borough, the number SEN schools places was being increased and the Council continued to provide high quality learning environments. 

 

The administration was delivering on what was important to residents with a well-run Council that was financially sound and delivering services that residents wanted.  90% of this had been achieved through efficiencies rather than cuts and a move had been made to ensure that the services provided were paid for by those who benefitted from them rather than being subsidised by those who didn't. 

 

It was noted that the Council continued to wait for information about the funding settlement but had managed to produce balanced budgets over the next two years.  The authority had developed an extensive capital programme and would maintain general reserves whilst being realistic and not taking more money from residents than was needed. 

 

Those speaking against the original motion believed that the proposed budget was an attempt by the administration to dig themselves out of the financial hole that they had created.  It was suggested that the proposals contained within the budget concentrated on helping small groups of residents rather than all residents and therefore failed to put Hillingdon's residents first. 

 

The budget penalised people who wanted to learn a trade in a tearoom, those who wanted to park outside their own houses and those who wanted to visit the library at lunchtime.  During the budget consultation, 80% of respondents had not been happy with the proposals and 81% had indicated that they did not think that the proposals offered value for money. 

 

As well as the general increase in the cost of living, the 30% increase in the Council's fees and charges would mean that it would be more expensive to get married, become a UK citizen, be cremated, get rid of bulky waste and use the music service.  The budget would mean that residents would be paying more but getting less and the move to digital contact would be damaging for residents.  The reality was that the Council was borrowing high which was increasing the risk to the authority. 

 

The withdrawal of grant funding to some of the voluntary sector and the move to a commissioning model would likely drive some of the small voluntary organisations out and the increase in fees and charges would also impact on them as they would need to pass these costs on to those that used their services. 

 

The original motion was put to a recorded vote: 

 

Those voting for: The Mayor (Councillor Haggar), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Ahmad-Wallana), Councillors Banerjee, Bennett, Bhatt, Bianco, Bridges, Burrows, Reeta Chamdal, Roy Chamdal, Chapman, Choubedar, Corthorne, Davies, Denys, Edwards, Goddard, Gohil, Higgins, Lavery, Lewis, Makwana, D Mills, R Mills, O’Brien, Palmer, Riley, Smallwood, Sullivan and Tuckwell.

 

Those voting against: Councillors Abby, Basit, Burles, Curling, Dhot, Farley, Gardner, Garelick, Garg, Gill, Islam, Judge, Kaur, Mand, Mathers, Money, Nelson, Nelson-West, Punja, Sansarpuri and Singh.

 

Those abstaining: None.

 

The original motion was carried and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet budget recommendations as set out below, be approved:

 

1.     That the General Fund revenue budget proposals made by Cabinet be approved, resulting in a Council Tax requirement for 2023/24 of £137,439,910;

 

2.     Council notes that at its meeting on 12 January 2023 the Council calculated the amount of 103,625 as its Council Tax Base for the year 2023/24. This was calculated in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, as its Council Tax Base for the year (Item T in the formula in Section 31B (3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992);

 

3.     The Hillingdon element of Council Tax be set at £1,326.32 for a Band D property. Taking into account the precept levied by the Greater London Authority, this results in an overall Band D Council Tax of £1,760.46 for the borough;

 

4.     The following amounts have been calculated by the Council for the year 2023/24, in accordance with Sections 32 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (the Act):

 

a) £896,367,185         being the aggregate of the amounts that the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (2) (a) to (f) of the Act.  (Gross Expenditure including the amount required for additions to working balances)

 

b) £758,927,275        being the aggregate of the amounts that the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A (3) (a) to (d) of the Act.  (Gross Income including reserves to be used to meet Gross Expenditure)

 

c) £137,439,910         being the amount by which the aggregate at 4 (a) above exceeds the aggregate at 4 (b) above.  This is calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A (4) of the Act, as its Council Tax requirement for the year.  (Item R under Section 31B of the Act)

 

d) £1,326.32               being the amount at 4 (c) above divided by Item T (2 above). This is, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year. (Council Tax at Band D for the Council)

 

e)  

 

being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at 4 (d) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5 (1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation B and D.  This is calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 36 (1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands;

 

5.     Council note that for the year 2023/24 the Greater London Authority and its functional bodies have stated the following amounts in precepts.  These have been issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Act, for each of the categories of dwellings shown below:

 

The Greater London Authority Precept (£)
Band A	Band B	Band C	Band D
289.43	337.66	385.90	434.14
Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H
530.62	627.09	723.57	868.28

 

6.     The Council has calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 4 (e) and 5 above.  The Council in accordance with Section 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 hereby sets the Council Tax for the year 2023/24 for each category of dwelling below:

 

Total Council Tax 2023/24 (£)
Band A	Band B	Band C	Band D
1,173.62	1,369.23	1,564.85	1,760.46
Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H
2,151.66	2,542.88	2,934.08	3,520.89

 

7.     The Council Tax Discount for Older People be retained for 2023/24 with a 1.18% discount on Hillingdon’s element of the Council Tax for those who joined the scheme on or after 1 April 2020, 2.70% for those who joined the scheme before or on 31 March 2019 and 5.79% for those who joined before or on 31 March 2018, with the scheme closed to new applicants from 1 April 2021;

 

8.     The General Fund Capital Programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28 as set out in Appendix A8 of the report to Cabinet be approved;

 

9.     The Housing Revenue Account budget proposals, HRA Capital Programme and housing rents set out in Appendix B of the report to Cabinet be approved;

 

10.  The proposed amendments to Fees and Charges set out in Appendix C of the report to Cabinet be approved;

 

11.  The Capital Investment Strategy, Treasury Management Strategy, Investment Strategy, Minimum Revenue Provision Statement for 2023/24 to 2027/28 as set out in Appendix D of the report to Cabinet be approved;

 

12.  The London Borough of Hillingdon Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24, as set out in Appendix E of the report to Cabinet, be approved.

 

13.  Council note the Corporate Director of Finance’s comments regarding his responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2003;

 

14.  Council note the planned use of the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts to fund transformation activity as outlined in Appendix 6a of the report to Cabinet;

 

15.  Council (as set out in Chapter 4 of the Constitution - Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules) resolves that Cabinet may utilise the general reserves or balances during 2023/24 in support of functions designated to the Cabinet in line with Part 4 of the Constitution;

 

16.  Council confirm that the Council’s relevant basic amount of Council Tax for 2023/24 is not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB Local Government Finance Act 1992 and therefore a referendum will not be triggered.