Agenda item

Report of the Director of Finance. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services.

The Council's income policy requires an annual review of the level of the fees and charges levied upon service users .This report considers the relevant factors affecting the review of fees and charges and identifies those services where an increase is being proposed.

Please note that this report does not contain proposed changes to daily Visitor Permits as the consultation ended on the 23^rd of November. This will now be considered as part of the Parking Policy and Strategy  report in January  2025.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services introduced the report which   set out the Fees and Charges proposed from the start of the financial year 2025/26, proposing increases to offset the cost increases associated with those services, or alternative values where circumstances indicate this is more appropriate.

The Cabinet Member outlined that the proposed changes aimed to support the Council’s ambition for a fairer, greener borough. It was emphasised that to protect the Council’s ability to provide essential services, it was necessary to ensure that the costs of these services could be covered.

Acknowledging the ongoing challenges many households faced due to the cost of living; these factors had been considered when setting the fees and charges for the coming year. However, it was noted that the fees and charges must align with and support the Council’s priorities. After considering all relevant factors, the proposed fees and charges were deemed necessary and appropriate, and the report was commended to the Cabinet.

In response to questions from Councillor Cawley-Harrison, the following was noted:

-          Regarding why visitor day permits were omitted from the fees and charges table, it was clarified that changes to these permits were not included as the parking consultation was still ongoing at the time of the report collation. Decisions regarding the permits would be addressed in the parking policy and strategy report in January 2025.

-          Regarding not significantly increasing fees for large commercial events, such as those in Finsbury Park, it was explained that the Council had a multi-year agreement with festival organisers, and the proposed fees reflected this arrangement.

-          In relation to the introduction of a new charge for hiring main library spaces, and whether this might lead to reduced library opening hours, it was clarified that hiring main library spaces would not typically result in closures. Libraries were designed to remain flexible and open for public use, even when parts of the space were hired out. The Council had benchmarked charges to ensure they remained competitive and accessible, and it was confirmed that the intention was to maintain library accessibility. A follow-up would be conducted to confirm that this policy was being implemented as intended.

RESOLVED

1. To agree the proposed non-statutory fees and charges to be levied by the Council with effect from 1 April 2025, unless otherwise stated, and as detailed in Section 8 and Appendices I – XIII.

2. To note the statutory fees and charges to be levied by the Council with effect from 1 April 2025.

3. To note that the Council’s draft 2025/26 Budget and Medium-Term

Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2025/26-2029/30 assumes that the changes to Fees and Charges set out in this report are agreed.

4. To note that any subsequent in-year changes or additions to the fees and charges proposed in this report may be approved by Lead Member.

5. To authorise officers to proceed to statutory notification on proposed increases to parking fees and charges as set out in Appendix II and to note that there is a separate review of parking charges underway to support the delivery of the newly adopted Parking Strategy. It is expected that a report on the outcome of Statutory Consultation on proposed changes will be presented for decision in January 2025.

Reasons for Decision

Under the Council’s Income Policy, it is a requirement to review fees and charges as a minimum annually. Given the ongoing challenges facing the Council, this is even more appropriate.

Alternative options considered.

This report summarises the conclusions after consideration of a range of alternative approaches dependent on particular services and relevant factors. As such a range of alternative options ranging from no increase to differentiated rates of increases or decreases have been considered and are reflected in this report.