Issue - meetings

a)         That Cabinet notes the contents of this report and, in particular, the findings and recommendations from the Town/Parish Councils – Review of Concurrent Funding Task and Finish Group (see Appendix A) established by the Finance, Resources and Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (FRAPS) in June 2014 to review concurrent funding of parish and town councils in the Borough by NULBC

b)         That Cabinet decides whether it wishes to support the all or some of the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group (as endorsed by FRAPS in November 2014) namely:

•           To establish a cross-party monitoring group by NULBC

•           To require all parish and town councils to provide proof to the above monitoring group of use and purpose of their grant from 2015/16 before receiving any further grant for 2016/17

•           Further to the above recommendation from the Task and Finish Group, that any town/parish council not spending their NULBC grant in full will have any identified underspend from 2015/16 removed from their grant for 2016/17

c)         That Cabinet remove 25% of the section 136 funding made available to Parish Councils in the next financial year.

Cllr Stringer introduced the report and thanked those who had been involved in the process including Members of the Parish and Town Councils.

The aim of the review had been to examine the existing process of funding by the Borough Council to parish/town councils to avoid the prospect of ‘double taxation’ (where a service which could be provided by either the Borough Council or a parish/town council was financed from the parish precept in a parished area and by the Borough Council in non-parished areas with no corresponding reduction in Council Tax for the parished areas) and also to examine the levels of funding in light of the financial pressures faced by the Borough Council.

Cllr Stringer outlined the reasons for the recommendations contained within the report.

The Leader thanked Cllr Stringer and all parties that had been involved in the work carried out by the Task and Finish Group.

Resolved:

a)         That Cabinet notes the contents of this report and, in particular, the findings and recommendations from the Town/Parish Councils – Review of Concurrent Funding Task and Finish Group (see Appendix A) established by the Finance, Resources and Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (FRAPS) in June 2014 to review concurrent funding of parish and town councils in the Borough by NULBC

b)         That Cabinet decides whether it wishes to support the all or some of the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group (as endorsed by FRAPS in November 2014) namely:

•           To establish a cross-party monitoring group by NULBC

•           To require all parish and town councils to provide proof to the above monitoring group of use and purpose of their grant from 2015/16 before receiving any further grant for 2016/17

•           Further to the above recommendation from the Task and Finish Group, that any town/parish council not spending their NULBC grant in full will have any identified underspend from 2015/16 removed from their grant for 2016/17

c)         That Cabinet remove 25% of the section 136 funding made available to Parish Councils in the next financial year.