See pages 11-24 of the main agenda for the report and recommendations.

The Head of Finance has submitted a report setting out the necessary calculations to enable Council to set the 2015/16 Council Tax for Oxford City, in accordance with the Local Government Finance Acts, 1988 and 1992, as amended by The Localism Act 2011. 

Officer Recommendations:Council is recommended to approve for 2015/16:

1.    The City Council’s precept and Council Tax requirement of £12,072,263 (inclusive of Parish precepts) and £11,900,498 excluding Parish precepts.

2.    The average Band D Council Tax figure (excluding Parish Precepts) of £278.97 a 1.99% increase on 2014/15 figure of £273.53. Including Parish Precepts the figure is £283.00, a 2.02% increase (see paragraph 3 of the report).

3.    The contribution of £10,000 to the Parish of Old Marston in recognition of the additional expenditure that the Parish incurs as a consequence of maintaining the cemetery (see paragraphs 11 and 12). 

4.    The amount of £515,696 to be treated as Special Expenses (see paragraph 15).

5.    The Band D Council Taxes for the various areas of the City (excluding the Police and County Council’s additions) as follows:-

Littlemore                                                 £301.50

Old Marston                                             £308.19

Risinghurst and Sandhills                   £295.59

Blackbird Leys                                        £276.71

Unparished Area                                    £281.25

These figures include the Parish Precepts and special expensing amounts as appropriate in addition to the City-wide Council Tax of £266.88.

The Council is also asked to note:

6.    Oxfordshire County Council’s precept and Band D Council Tax as set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

7.    The Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley’s precept and Band D Council Tax as set out in paragraph 19, and

8.    The overall average Band D equivalent Council Tax of £1,679.16 including Parish Precepts (subject to confirmation of the Band D figures for the County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner – see paragraphs 18 and 19 of the report).

Councillors Fry and Simm left the meeting at the start of this item.

Council had before it the report of the Head of Finance setting out the necessary calculations to enable Council to set the 2015/16 Council Tax for Oxford City, in accordance with the Local Government Finance Acts, 1988 and 1992, as amended by the Localism Act 2011.

Councillor Turner moved and Councillor Price seconded approval of the recommendations in the report.

In accordance with procedure rule 11.11 (d) a named vote was taken.

For the recommendations in the report – Councillors Abbasi, Altaf-Khan, Anwar, Brandt, Brown, Clack, Clarkson, Cook, Coulter, Fooks, Gant, Goddard, Gotch, Haines, Hayes, Henwood, Hollick, Hollingsworth, Humberstone, Kennedy, Lloyd-Shogbesan, Lygo, Malik, Munkonge, Paule, Pressel, Price, Rowley, Royce, Sanders, Seamons, Simmons, Sinclair, Smith, Tanner, Tarver, Thomas, Turner, Upton, Van Nooijen, Wade, Wilkinson and Wolff.

Against the recommendations in the report – None.

Abstentions – None.

Council resolved to approve for 2015/16:

1.    The City Council’s precept and Council Tax requirement of £12,072,263 (inclusive of Parish precepts) and £11,900,498 excluding Parish precepts.

2.    The average Band D Council Tax figure (excluding Parish Precepts) of £278.97 a 1.99% increase on 2014/15 figure of £273.53. Including Parish Precepts the figure is £283.00, a 2.02% increase (paragraph 3 of the report).

3.    The contribution of £10,000 to the Parish of Old Marston in recognition of the additional expenditure that the Parish incurs as a consequence of maintaining the cemetery (report paragraphs 11 and 12).

4.    The amount of £515,696 to be treated as Special Expenses (report paragraph 15).

5.    The Band D Council Taxes for the various areas of the City (excluding the Police and County Council’s additions) as follows:-

Littlemore                                                 £301.50

Old Marston                                             £308.19

Risinghurst and Sandhills                   £295.59

Blackbird Leys                                        £276.71

Unparished Area                                    £281.25

These figures include the Parish Precepts and special expensing amounts as appropriate in addition to the City-wide Council Tax of £266.88.

The Council also noted:

6.    Oxfordshire County Council’s precept and Band D Council Tax as set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

7.    The Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley’s precept and Band D Council Tax as set out in paragraph 19 of the report, and

8.    The overall average Band D equivalent Council Tax of £1,679.16 including Parish Precepts 

Report of the Head of Finance

Purpose:

To set the Council Tax Base for 2015/16 as required by section 33 of The Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012.

Recommendations:

a)    that the 2015/16 Council Tax Base for the City Council’s area as a whole is set at 42,658.7 (as shown in Appendix 1)

b)    that the projected level of collection is set at 97.5%

c)    that the tax bases for the Parishes, and for the Unparished area of the City (as shown in Appendix 2) be set as follows:

Unparished Area of the City                        35,683.1

Littlemore Parish                                            1,663.1

Old Marston Parish                                        1,220.9

Risinghurst & Sandhills Parish                   1,397.4

Blackbird Leys Parish                                   2,694.2

City Council Total                                        42,658.7

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Finance setting out the information and calculations required to set the “Council Tax Base” for 2015/16 as required by section 33 of The Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012.

Nigel Kennedy, Head of Finance, introduced the report and answered questions.

He explained that the tax base is the calculation of the number of properties that are liable for a council tax charge expressed in terms of a Band D equivalent for the parishes and the unparished area of the City. The figure is adjusted to take account of reductions for discounts and reductions such as council tax support, single person discounts and empty property discount and is subsequently used to calculate total collectable council tax income for the year. The major preceptors, the County Council and Thames Valley Police are paid their precepts out of these monies and any adjustment  for variations in the actual council tax income is made at year end, with amounts being paid or reclaimed from the preceptors in proportion to their precepts.

The Committee resolved:

1.    that the 2015/16 Council Tax Base for the City Council’s area as a whole is set at 42,658.7 (as shown in Appendix 1)

2.    that the projected level of collection is set at 97.5%           

3.    that the tax bases for the Parishes, and for the Unparished area of the City (as shown in Appendix 2) be set as follows:

·         Unparished Area of the City          35,683.1

·         Littlemore Parish      1,663.1

·         Old Marston Parish    1,220.9

·         Risinghurst & Sandhills Parish      1,397.4

·         Blackbird Leys Parish           2,694.2

City Council Total        42,658.7