Agenda item

The Committee received a report that had been approved by Cabinet on 16 January 2013 regarding the Scale of Fees and Charges which were to be applied from 1 April 2013. The scale of fees and charges were reviewed annually and there was a charging policy which Heads of Service were encouraged to follow. A benchmarking exercise across district councils had been undertaken to ascertain charges compared with other councils. There would be consideration at the February Cabinet as to whether charges should be introduced for pre-planning advice.

Members noted there was to be a 2% increase in fees and charges at Jubilee 2 and questioned whether this would make the facilities inaccessible for some people. Many of the leisure charges were proposed to be frozen and the proposed £2 per month fee increase for Jubilee 2 was not considered to be a disincentive. Membership fees would still be good value for money, competitive in comparison to local alternatives and it would still be an encouragement for people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. When Jubilee 2 first opened the prices were purposefully set low against the market rate and it was also noted that the costs to run the facility had increased. There was a projected income surplus in 2012/13 and Members questioned whether the surplus would be recycled back into the community. It was built into the Jubilee 2 business plan that the operating costs should be in a break even position in three years. Until a break even position was achieved the Council would provide a subsidy, meaning any surplus income was helpful. The Leader concurred that advice had been sought from the Executive Director, Operational Services and the Head of Leisure and Cultural Services and the Leader had been assured the increase was not a disincentive. Costs were required to be met and it was necessary to be realistic as the Council subsidy could not continue indefinitely. The Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure was informed of membership figures and usage numbers which would be monitored closely. The figures for leisure usage for the separate centres were captured in the Performance Management Report and Members could see the figures for each one. Members noted it was always in the business plan to review the prices and considered that the fees were the right price to encourage members of the public to use the facilities. It was necessary for income levels to increase year on year to meet costs and to close the gap to running costs breaking even.

There was to be an increase in the price for a cemetery internment for individuals over 16 years old and for the cremation of individuals over 16 years old. Bereavement services had been invested in heavily over recent years with the new cemetery at Keele and improvements at the crematorium. It was now necessary to build up a fund for the replacement of key equipment when it was required. New cremators had been installed around two years previously at a cost of just under £1 million and although would not need replacing for a minimum of ten years, a fund for their ultimate replacement was required.

It was noted by Members that there was a significant increase in the refundable deposits for circuses and fairs and asked whether this was due to the abuse of sites in the past. It was an incentive to discourage the users of the sites from leaving a mess, but it was also pointed out that the Borough charged less than other local authorities. The cost of M.O.T.s at the depot had been reduced to seek to grow custom in this area, and it was expected that an increase in the number of M.O.T.s would be seen.

RESOLVED:              That the information be received.