Cllr Fleming proposed and Cllr Ramsay seconded the recommendations as set out in appendices 2 and 3 of the report. 

Councillor Walshe moved the following amendment that recommendation (d) be deleted, which was duly seconded by Councillor Mrs Purves.  Of the amendment Councillor Walshe stated that the deletion of the recommendation would force Cabinet to reconsider the decision not to pass anything on to the Town and Parish Councils from the RSG.  Members debated the amendment and it was reiterated that full discussions had been had with the Town and Parish Councils concerning this issue over the past twelve months. 

The amendment was put to the vote and lost.

The original motion was then put to the vote and it was

Resolved:  That

a)        the Summary of Council Expenditure and Council Tax 2014/15 be approved;

b)        the 10 Year budget 2013/14 to 2023/24, the guiding framework for the detailed approval of future years’ budgets, including the growth and savings proposals set out, be approved; and that where possible any variations during and between years be met from the Budget Stabilisation Reserve;

c)         the changes to reserves and provisions, be approved;

d)        no Council Tax Support funding for Town and Parish Councils be issued as no money was ring-fenced for this purpose in the Government Grant Settlement, and this approach be agreed and adopted;

e)        the Capital Programme 2014/17, and Asset Maintenance 2014/15 budget of £469,000 be approved;

f)          it be noted that at the Cabinet meeting on 9 January 2014 the Council calculated as its council tax base for the year 2014/15:

(i)  for the whole Council area as 47,629.02 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;

(g)      the council tax requirement for the Council’s own purpose for 2014/15 (excluding Town and Parish precepts) be calculated as £189.18;

(h)     the following amounts be calculated for the year 2014/15 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

(i)        it be noted that for the year 2014/15 the Kent County Council, the Kent Police & Crime Commissioner and the Kent & Medway Towns Fire Authority had 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:-

(j)        in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the aggregate amounts be set as in Appendix 3to the report (appendix to these minutes) as the amounts of council tax for the year 2014/15  for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings; and

(k)      the Council’s basic amount of council tax for 2014/15, shown in (i)(vi) above, is not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.