Issue - meetings

This report sets out estimates for income and expenditure on services in 2023/24.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 9 votes for and 1 abstention to:

(1)        Recommend the 2023/24 service estimates for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2023;

(2)        Recommend the 2023/24 fees and charges, as set-out in Appendix 1 to the report, for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2023;

(3)        Agree the Council Tax Discount bands for 2023/24, as set-out in section 7 of the report.

The Committee received a report setting out estimates for income and expenditure on services in 2023/24.

The following matters were considered:

a)            On street parking. The Committee noted that Surrey County Council had made a unilateral decision to end its contract with Epsom and Ewell Borough Council for on-street parking enforcement. The Borough Council had been undertaking on-street enforcement duties under contract for the County Council, resulting in a number of efficiencies of scale due to the Borough Council’s off-street parking duties. Officers were looking at ways to reduce costs within service following this decision by the County Council.

b)            External audit fees. Following a question from a Member, the Head of Finance informed the Committee that the appointment of the external auditor had been competitively tendered through a national process, but there had been an 150% increase to the external audit fees. The Local Government Association had advised that local authorities were unlikely to be able to improve upon the nationally tendered price by pursuing their own separate arrangements. The Committee was informed that the previous external audit contract had run for a period of 5 years from 2017-18 to 2022-23 and that the new contract would run for 5 years from 2023-24 to 2028-29.

c)            Town Hall room hire income. A member of the Committee asked whether there was potential to generate further income from the hire of Town Hall rooms to external hirers. The Head of Finance informed the Committee that a number of factors affected the level of income generated by hiring out rooms, including their desirability to external users.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 9 votes for and 1 abstention to:

(1)      Recommend the 2023/24 service estimates for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2023;

(2)      Recommend the 2023/24 fees and charges, as set-out in Appendix 1 to the report, for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2023;

(3)      Agree the Council Tax Discount bands for 2023/24, as set-out in section 7 of the report.