Agenda and minutes

Agreed as an accurate record.

To confirm the items of business marked Part I will be considered in public and that items marked Part II will be considered in private.

It was agreed that all items of business would be considered in public.

Members were reminded that at their last meeting held on 1July 2015, the Committee received a presentation on business rates and particularly relating to Heathrow Airport.  Members were informed of the difficulties the Council had in determining the cumulo rateable value for Heathrow Airport due to the problems of Council officers accessing areas of the airport.

Members were informed that the Head of Revenues and Benefits was currently working with the new contractors who had recently been appointed  for the administration, collection and recovery of Business Rates which had meant that the review would have to commence at the end of September.

A short discussion took place on information which would be useful for the Committee which included:-

·         details of how much Business Rates were currently paid,

·         any information on Building Programmes which have taken place within Heathrow Airport,

·         information from the Planning Department on planning applications within the airport,

·         The approach of other local authorities to business rates for major airports within their boundaries,

·         Information from the Civil Aviation Authority who were responsible for the economic regulation of Heathrow.

Members asked that for the next meeting of the Committee a draft scoping report be prepared to enable the objectives and aims of the review to be developed.

RESOLVED –

1. That officers be asked to prepare a draft scoping report and to provide a detailed presentation on the review topic at the next meeting of the Committee.

The Committee was informed that the report set out the main financial issues facing the Group's services and the work being undertaken to respond to them.

Members were informed that the budget report which was reported to Council in February 2015 identified a savings requirement for 2016/17 of £20.3m. However, the Council's final funding settlement would not be announced until the end of the year, although an indication of the scale of funding reductions might be given in the Comprehensive Spending Round which was expected in the autumn.

Administration and Finance had put forward savings for 2015/16 of £1.38m and were well on course to achieve these savings. Savings proposals included restructures within Revenues and Benefits, Human Resources and Internal Audit Teams, a full zero based review of services including realignment of income targets and the retender of the Revenues and Benefits contract.   

RESOLVED –

1. That the development of the financial planning process which had been undertaken to date be noted.

The Committee noted that a report on the Corporate Complaints Procedure would be submitted to Cabinet on 22 October 2015 and Members asked that the Committee be updated on the proposed changes to the Complaints procedure.

The forward plan was noted.  

Noted.

The Committee noted that the item on Elections would be removed from the work programme for the meeting in September.