Agenda and minutes

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee held on 21 June 2012 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting of the Resources Working Party held on 4 September 2012 be received.

Decision

That the report be noted.

Recommendation to Council

1.         That the Council notes the Community Right to Challenge (CRC) provisions in the Localism Act 2011. 

2.         That the Council approves the approach set out in section 6 of the report, in particular:

(i)                     To accept expressions of interest (EoI) under the CRC duty during the period from 18th February to 31st March each year.

(ii)                    To specify individually for each EoI, by 30th April in the year in which it was submitted, the maximum period that it will take for the Council to notify the relevant body of its decision and to publish details of the specification; and to delegate this decision to the Chief Executive (in consultation with the Chairman of the Commissioning Board).

(iii)                   For services that are not currently contracted out, the maximum period that it will take to notify the relevant body of its decision and to publish details of the specification will be individually determined but normally 30th September in the year that the EoI was submitted.  For services that are currently contracted out, the maximum period will be individually determined so as to fit with the relevant commissioning cycle.

(iv)                   The procurement process arising from the acceptance of any EOI will start no sooner than two months and no later than six months after acceptance. 

Recommendation to Council

That Council is recommended to approve:

(i)                     officers to implement barcoding of all Council invoices to enable payments to be made at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet within the district;

(ii)                    following implementation of the above the area cash office service be removed; and

(iii)                   the savings achieved from the implementation of the above to be considered as part of the Council’s 2013/2014 budget strategy process.

Recommendation to Council

That Council is recommended to approve the following parameters for the preparation of the 2013/2014 budget:

(i)                     Proposals be brought forward for a 2.5% increase in Council tax;

(ii)                    Increases in fees and charges to be 3.5% - 4.5% on a cost centre heading basis excluding VAT and only those charges officers recommend above or below this figure to be considered by the relevant policy committee;

(iii)                   Efficiencies to be maximised;

(iv)                   Options for service cuts to be provided. These proposals to be considered by the Resources Working Party and the Policy and Resources Committee.

Recommendation to Council

That Council be recommended to approve in principle that the entire allocation of £439,779 is ringfenced into a Ryedale Development Fund for spending on projects which deliver or protect employment within Ryedale.  The allocation of this funding to be made by Council based on recommendations from the Policy and Resources Committee.

Recommendation to Council

That Members recommend to Council option 2 from paragraph 6.13 of the report, to apply a Special Expense to those parishes in which the closed churchyard is located to cover in full the maintenance costs.

Decision

That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item as there will be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as the information relates to any business or financial affairs of a company.

Recommendation to Council

That Members are recommended to award non-domestic rates hardship relief for 2012/2013 for the application referred to in this report financed from the ICE fund.

Decision

That the Statement of Accounts and the Report of the External Auditors for 2012 be accepted.