Agenda item

CM 10 

a.       Hub Committee – 30 June 2020, 28 July 2020 and 15 September 2020

It was moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 30 June 2020, 28 July 2020 and 15 September 2020 Committee Meetings be received and noted, with the exception of Recommendations HC 07, HC 16 and HC 18.”

In respect of the Recommendations:

i.      HC 07 Changes to Pest Control Services

It was moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr R Cheadle and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that:

1.     the free pest control (rats and mice treatments) service for residents be removed and replaced with a free service for benefit recipients only; and

2.     the tender to deliver the service in West Devon Borough Council areas from Terminix be accepted and approved.”

ii.     HC 16 Amended Draft Budget 2020/21

Cllr N Jory informed that this recommendation was to be considered later in this meeting (Minute CM 10 below refers).

iii.   HC 18 Council Tax Premium for Long-term Empty Property

In reply to a question, the Section 151 Officer informed that, as at August 2020, the Council had 47 properties that were subject to the long-term Empty Property Premium, which was out of a total of 26,051 properties that were banded for Council Tax.

In addition, on 1 April 2021, of these 47 properties:

-        4 would have been ‘long-term’ empty for longer than 5 years, with a further 8 properties reaching five years during the 2021 Financial Year; and

-        4 would have been ‘long term’ empty for longer than 10 years, with 3 of the 4 properties highlighted above reaching ten years during the 2021 Financial Year.

It was then moved by Cllr N Jory, seconded by Cllr L Samuel and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that:

1.     an increase in the Council Tax long-term Empty Property Premium be approved from the current 50% to the relevant maximums as set out in the Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018;

2.     with effect from 1 April 2021 onwards, the Council Tax long-term Empty Property Premium be increased to 100% for properties that have been empty for 2 years or more*;

3.     with effect from 1 April 2021 onwards, the Council Tax long-term Empty Property Premium be increased to 200% for properties that have been empty for 5 years or more*; and

4.     with effect from 1 April 2021 onwards, the Council Tax long-term Empty Property Premium be increased to 300% for properties that have been empty for 10 years or more*.

(* Any period not exceeding six weeks, where the property is not empty, shall be disregarded for the purposes of calculating the 2, 5 or 10 year empty period).”

b.      Development Management and Licensing Committee – 30 June 2020 and 28 July 2020

It was moved by Cllr J Yelland, seconded by Cllr P Crozier and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 30 June 2020 and 28 July 2020 Committee Meetings be received and noted.”

c.       Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 23 June 2020, 4 August 2020 and 1 September 2020

It was moved by Cllr M Ewings, seconded by Cllr P Kimber and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 23 June 2020, 4 August 2020 and 1 September 2020 Committee Meetings be received and noted, with the exception of Recommendation O&S 9.”

i.      O&S 9 Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2019/20

It was moved by Cllr M Ewings, seconded by Cllr P Kimber and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that its Annual Report for 2019/20 (as outlined at Appendix A of the agenda report presented to the Committee) be approved.”

d.      Audit Committee – 23 June 2020

It was moved by Cllr M Davies, seconded by Cllr P Vachon and upon being submitted to the Meeting was declared to be CARRIED and “RESOLVED that the Minutes of the 23 June 2020 Committee Meeting be received and noted.”