Purpose

This report details proposed in-year amendments to a limited range of fees and charges within the SCRER directorate for the financial year 2025-26.

Fees and charges are reviewed annually as part of the Council’s budget setting process. Cabinet approved delegation for further in-year amendments to fees and charges for the financial year 2025-26 in December 2024, to the relevant Corporate Director following consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member and the Executive Mayor. 

Fees and charges generally fall into two broad categories:

·        Discretionary - those set at the discretion of local authorities, for example venue charges and commercial waste collection.

·        Statutory/Regulatory - those prescribed by government statute, for example planning fees and charging for residential adult social care.   

The proposed in-year amendments in this report fall into the discretionary category.

Many regulatory functions have statutory fees which are set or required to be considered by the relevant regulatory committees as they are precluded from being executive functions.

The level of inflation (CPI 3.5% at April 2025) along with rounding the charge to the nearest 5p, 10p, etc for practical purposes have been key factors in determining the recommended changes.  Other factors such as service demand, the projected cost of providing the different services, benchmarking with other local authorities and the impact of general economic factors including cost of living on the Council’s residents have also been considered.

Decision

For the reasons set out in the report and its appendices, the Corporate Director for Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery is AGREED:

To have due regard to the equalities impact assessment in Appendix 2 in making the decisions set out in these recommendations.

To approve the proposed in-year amendments to fees and charges as set out in Appendix 1 to the extent that they fall within the authority of the Executive as delegated.

Reasons for the decision

Fees and charges are reviewed annually as part of the Council’s budget setting process. The Corporate Director for Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery following consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member and the Executive Mayor has the authority to make further in-year amendments to the to the fees and charges that are set in April. This ensures that they are set at the appropriate level for the prevailing economic conditions and represent good practice in terms of the Council’s aim to provide value for money.

Alternative options considered

Whilst it is common that Councils engage in reviewing their fees and charges on an annual basis, to ensure that they are set at the appropriate level for the prevailing economic conditions and represent good practice in terms of the Council’s aim to provide value for money, reviewing them and making in-year amendments is considered good practice.