Agenda item

1.  To increase Council Tax by £5 (which equates to a Band D council tax of £155.42 for 2017/18, an increase of £5 per year or 10 pence per week). This equates to a Council Tax requirement of £5,809,541 (as shown in Appendix B))

2.  That the financial pressures in Appendix B of £1,215,000 be agreed

3.   That the £10,000 discretionary budget bid for the Citizens Advice Bureau be agreed;

4.   That the schedule of savings identified in Appendix B totalling £840,000 be agreed;

5.   That the Collection Fund Surplus of £143,000 as shown in Appendix B be agreed;

6.    That the level of contributions to reserves to be included within the Authority’s budget, as set out in Appendix D2 be agreed (this includes using £500,000 of New Homes Bonus funding to fund the 2017-18 Revenue Budget);

7.    to allocate £153,900 of New Homes Bonus funding for 2017/18 to the     Community Reinvestment Projects budget for 2017/18 (see 8.9). Any under spend from the 2016/17 Community Reinvestment Projects budget of £153,900 is to be transferred into the Capital Programme Reserve;

8.    to allocate £50,000 of New Homes Bonus funding to the Joint Local Plan as per 8.11 of the presented report;

9.  the Council earmarks £3,060 of its allocation of the New Homes Bonus for 2017/18 for the Dartmoor National Park Sustainable Community Fund (see 8.12), with delegated authority to the S151 Officer in consultation with the Leader and the Executive Member for Support Services to agree the final amount transferred. The funds are awarded as a one off payment to Dartmoor National Park, to award projects on an application basis administered by Dartmoor National Park. The following conditions will apply:

A. decisions must be taken in consultation with the South Hams District Council local Ward Member(s);

B. funding can only be used for capital spending on projects in those parts of Dartmoor National Park which fall within the South Hams District Council Boundaries and enable the Dartmoor National Park to carry out its social economic responsibilities; and

C. Dartmoor National Park reports on the progress in the application of, and use of the funds to the Overview and Scrutiny Panel, in time for budget decisions to be made

10.  That £75,000 of the Budget Surplus Contingency Earmarked Reserve is used to fund five additional case managers within Development Management for a period of one year (as per para 10.6 of the presented report);

11.  That a 2% increase in car parking fees for 2017/18 as per para 7.5 of the presented report be approved;

12. That the budget gap of £374,654 is closed by using (see para 7.5 of the presented report):-

-      £287,273 from the Budget Surplus Contingency Earmarked Reserve (as per par 10.6 of the presented report)

-      £87,381 from the New Homes Bonus Reserve (as per para 8.9 of the presented report)

-      The Council to adopt the principle that any future decision on car parking charges reduces the amount taken from the New Homes Bonus Reserve required to balance the budget.

-      The Council to adopt the principle that the future decision on the Dartmouth Lower Ferry (from the work of the Task and Finish Group) reduces the amount taken from the Budget Surplus Contingency Earmarked Reserve required to balance the budget.

13.  That the Council Tax Support Grant paid to Town and Parish Councils is reduced by 9.85% for 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20. This equates to a payment of £91,644 for 2017/18 (see para 11.4 of the presented report).

14.  That the Council should set its total net expenditure for 2017/18 as shown in Appendix B at £8,346,074.

15.  That the minimum level of the Unearmarked Revenue Reserves is maintained at £1,500,000 as per Section 10 of the presented report.

16.  That the level of reserves as set out within this report and the assessment of their adequacy and the robustness of budget estimates are noted. This is a requirement of Part 2 of the Local Government Act 2003.