Issue - meetings

This report recommends fees and charges for which this Committee is responsible, with the new charges being effective from 1 April 2023.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Agree the fees and charges for 2023/24 as set out at Appendix 1 of the report.

Th Committee received a report recommending fees and charges for which the Committee is responsible, with the new charges being effective from 1 April 2023.

The following matters were considered by the Committee:

a)            Service Rates: Following a question from a Member, the Head of Operational Services explained that, in the interest of staying competitive, certain areas within Community Services are not recommended for a rate increase, due to a likely adverse effect on customer volumes, with one such service being ‘Community Alarm’.

b)            Services Categorised by Demand: A Member suggested that it would be helpful for services, as listed in the appendix of the report, to be categorised and sorted by a ‘low, medium, high’ system, in terms of service demand. The Chair explained the recent challenge in accurately assessing service demand post-covid due to the pandemic’s effect on service usage. He agreed that such a system would be helpful and suggested it could be something to investigate for the future.

c)            Bourne Hall: In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Operational Services explained that the hire rate for the main hall at Bourne Hall has been kept unchanged and the daytime hours adjusted to attract an increased usage of the main hall. He stated that the Council is investigating the possibility of holding events, such as a monthly vintage clothes sale, as a source of income and as an opportunity to further develop Bourne Hall as a community hub.

d)            Bathing Service: Following a question from a Member, the Head of Operational Services explained that the bathing service, listed on page 22 of the agenda, had mostly ceased but was being restarted following the Council’s taking-over of the venue. He explained the increase to the service charge was made in the interest of recovering costs, whilst being mindful of maintaining a reasonable price for service users.

e)            Houses of Multiple Occupation Charges: In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Housing and Community explained that charges for HMOs are set out in guidance to local authorities. The Head of Property and Regeneration explained the charges differ between applications over 5 units and applications up to 5 units due to separate calculation bases.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)          Agree the fees and charges for 2023/24 as set out at Appendix 1 of the report.