IE.5/19: Council Tax Reduction for Care Leavers and
Council Tax Premium for Long Term Empty Property
RESOLVED
1.
That an increase be effected in the
Council Tax Premium from the current 50% to the relevant maximums
set down in the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council
Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018;
2.
That, with effect from 1 April 2020
onwards, the Council Tax Premium be increased to 100% for
properties that have been empty for 2 years or more**;
3.
That, with effect from 1 April 2020,
the Council Tax Premium be increased to 200% for properties that
have been empty for 5 years or more**;
4.
That, with effect from 1 April 2021,
the Council Tax Premium be increased to 300% for properties that
have been empty for 10 years or more**;
(** any period of not exceeding six
weeks, where the property is not empty, shall be disregarded for
the purposes of calculating the two year period).
5.
That the increases in the Council Tax
Premium for the 2020/21 Financial Year be effective from 1 October
2020, to allow for affected Council Taxpayers to take action
(independently or with assistance from the Council) to bring their
property back in to use (NOTE. the increase for 2021/22 will
take effect from 1 April of that
year).
IE.8/19: Parking Permit Review
In discussion, the
lead Executive Member gave a number of assurances that the Council
would be given a further opportunity to consider the outcome of the
Public Consultation exercise.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1.
That the permit charges and permits be
amended in accordance with Appendix A of the agenda report
presented to the Informal Executive meeting;
2.
That the proposed Parking Permit Review
be deferred at least until the Autumn (i.e. not before 1 September
2020);
3.
That, with immediate effect, Parking
Permits be put back on sale at their existing prices;
and
4.
That it be acknowledged that
consultation has been undertaken with towns and parishes and a further 21-day public
consultation will be undertaken, but will not commence before the
Council has restored its parking charges in its car
parks.
IE.9/19: Statement of Community
Involvement
In opposition to the Statement of
Community Involvement (SCI), a Member made particular reference to
Principle 7: ‘Responsibility and Accountability’ and
her belief that this was not being upheld. Furthermore, the Member expressed her
disappointment at the lack of assurance in the SCI with regard to
how community concerns and views would be taken into account in the
decision-making process.
It was then:
RESOLVED
That, subject to West Devon and
Plymouth agreeing likewise, the Statement of Community Involvement
(SCI) be formally adopted under Section 23 of the Planning and
Compulsory Act 2004.
IE.10/19: Follaton House Strategic Accommodation
Review
In her introduction, the Leader advised
of her intention to propose an alternative recommendation that
would seek to defer the decisions of the first two parts of the
recommendation on the review in light of the impact of the Covid-19
Crisis. For clarity, the Leader
informed that her alternative recommendation was not seeking to
reject the original recommendations generated at the Informal
Executive meeting but to simply defer them for further
consideration at a later date.
Furthermore, the Leader was intending to propose that part 3 of the
recommendation would not be included as part of the deferral and
could therefore come into immediate effect.
In the ensuing debate, reference was
made to:-
(a)
a general acknowledgement that 2021 was
likely to be a very busy year for weddings; and
(b)
the
Arboretum.
In citing the success of Kingsbridge in Bloom as an example, a
Member was of the view that Totnes should consider establishing a
similar Community/Voluntary Group to be responsible for the
maintenance and upkeep of the Arboretum.
It was
then:
RESOLVED
That, in light of the current pandemic,
the Accommodation Strategy Member Working Group be reconvened to
consider recommendations 1 and 2 (below) as part of
the Council’s future Recovery Plan to the Covid-19 Crisis,
with a further report being presented back to the Executive at a
future date:
1.
That South Hams District Council
remains at Follaton House for the foreseeable future, recognising
that the net accommodation costs (£150,000 as set out in
paragraph 4.4 of the presented agenda report to the Informal
Executive meeting) represent good value for money;
2.
That the Council considers developing a
wedding venue in the Listed Building (with effect from 2021) and
that the Accommodation Strategy Member Working Group and officers
agree a plan of how the interior of Follaton House should be
reshaped before officers procure a more detailed cost plan and
tender for associated improvement works to the House and
Garden. (NOTE. a sum of up to
£30,000 be allocated from the Land and Development Earmarked
Reserve for this purpose); and
3.
That a sum of £25,000 be
allocated from the Land and Development Earmarked Reserve to
undertake infrastructure improvements to Follaton Arboretum to
enhance use of the site by staff, tenants and visitors and also to
support biodiversity and carbon capture in response to the
Council’s commitment to tackle climate change. (NB. this funding will enable match funding to be
sought for improvement works).
(NOTE. Cllr Baldry requested that it be
noted that he did not support the proposal at part 1 of the above
resolution).
IE.11/19: Implementing a New Recycling
Service
In light of the potential impact on the
project timescales of the Covid-19 Crisis, it was confirmed that a
Waste Update would be considered at the Informal Council session to
be held on 21 May 2020.
It was then:
RESOLVED
1.
That the progress and future plan in
relation to the implementation of the new recycling service be
noted;
2.
That approval be given to the increase in
the cost of building the new depot at Ivybridge, (as set out in Appendix A of the agenda
report presented to the Informal Executive meeting), to be funded
by internal borrowing and to build this increased cost into the
Budget for 2021-22. (NB. this amounts to an increase of
£25,600 in paying back the borrowing costs per year, as set
out in Appendix A);
3.
That approval be given to the increase for the
capital costs of the containers and their distribution (as set out
in Appendix A of the agenda report presented to the Informal
Executive meeting) to be funded by internal borrowing and to build
this increased cost into the Budget for 2021-22. (NB. this amounts to an increase of £8,852
in paying back the borrowing costs per year, as set out in Appendix
A); and
4.
That approval be given to the
increase from £125,000 to £175,000 for the one-off
costs of implementation of the Devon Aligned Service. (NB. the
increase of £50,000 to be funded from the New Homes Bonus
Earmarked Reserve in 2020/21).