The Havant Borough Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on 3 September 2025 to discuss the council's fees and charges setting process and to review the committee's work programme. The committee decided not to make any formal recommendations to the Cabinet regarding the fees and charges setting process. They did, however, agree to add the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) spend to their work programme for the autumn of 2025.

Review of the Annual Fees and Charges Setting Process

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed the process for setting the council's annual fees and charges for the 2026/27 financial year. Councillor Philippa Gray, Cabinet Lead for Finance and Governance, introduced the item. The committee was informed of the differences between statutory and discretionary fees and charges. Statutory fees are often set to recover costs, while discretionary fees are determined by the executive, as outlined in the council's constitution.

The committee scrutinised the process by which the Cabinet sets fees and charges, which includes evaluating factors such as national inflation, commercial activity, market benchmarking, and local economic conditions. The committee also discussed the legal framework governing executive and non-executive functions in setting fees and charges, as defined by the Local Government Act 2000 and related regulations¹.

The committee had the option to recommend that the Cabinet be informed that the committee had scrutinised the matter and did not wish to make any formal comments or recommendations, submit formal comments to Cabinet, or make formal recommendations to Cabinet for their consideration. Ultimately, the committee chose the first option.

Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme and agreed to add the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) spend to the work programme in the Autumn of 2025. The committee can add items from the Cabinet Forward Plan to their work programme.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge that local authorities can place on new developments in their area². The money raised from the levy can then be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure projects, such as new schools, roads, and parks. At a meeting on 25 June 2025, the committee decided to monitor the Community Infrastructure Levy spend at a future meeting.