Cllr. Fleming moved and Cllr. Mrs Davison seconded that the recommendations contained in appendices 6 and 7 to the report be agreed. 

The report set out the factors requiring consideration in order to set the Council Tax for 2012/13 and to approve the 2012/13 budgets.  These factors include (i) precepts received from other authorities, (ii) Collection Fund position, (iii) Corporate Budget Update, and (iv) opinion on the robustness of the budget and the adequacy of the reserves.

Resolved:

(a)               That the Summary of Council Expenditure and Council Tax 2012/13 at Appendix 2 of the report be approved;

(b)               that the 10 Year budget 2011/12 to 2021/22 including the growth and savings proposals set out at Appendix 3 of the report be approved and that wherever possible any variations during and between years be met from the Budget Stabilisation Reserve;

(c)               that any changes in the taxbase and collection fund and other minor variations be transferred to/from the Budget Stabilisation Reserve;

(d)               that the changes to reserves and provisions set out in Appendix 4 to the report be approved;

(e)               that the Capital Programme 2012/15, and Asset Maintenance 2012/13 budget of £372,000  be approved;

(f)                 that the Financial Strategy attached at Appendix 5 of the report be approved;

(g)               that it be noted that at the Cabinet meeting on 12 January 2012 the Council calculated as its council tax base for the year 2012/13:

(i)     for the whole Council area as 50,860.03 being Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, (the “Act”); and

(ii)         for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a parish precept relates as in Appendix 1 to the report;

(h)               that the council tax requirement for the Council’s own purpose for 2012/13 (excluding Town and Parish precepts) be calculated as £181.89;

(i)                 that the following amounts be calculated for the year 2012/13 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

(j)                  that it be noted that for the year 2012/13 the Kent County Council, the Kent Police Authority and the Kent & Medway Towns Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each category of dwellings in the Council’s area as indicated in the table below:-

(k)               that the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in Appendix 7 to the report as the amounts of council tax for the year 2012/13  for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings; and

(l)                  that the Council’s basic amount of council tax for 2012/13, shown in (i)(vi) above, is not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.