Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Chief Officer (Governance) introduced the report and explained that setting of the Council Tax Base was integral to the revenue budget and Council Tax setting process for 2021/22 and allowed the Council, Police & Crime Commissioners Office for North Wales and Town and Community Councils to calculate next year’s Council Tax precept.

            The Base had been calculated at 65,026 Band ‘D’ equivalent properties, after taking into account the total number of properties that would be subject to Council Tax, less those which were exempt from Council Tax or where statutory household discounts applied.

            Setting in the Tax Base at 65,026 Band ‘D’ equivalents also represented significant growth in the Tax Base of 0.73% compared to the previous year, equivalent to an increase of 472 band D equivalent properties.

            Councillor Bithell said the Council had tried to bring back empty properties into use without success, and asked if the 50% charge of a Council Tax Premium could be increased to encourage them to be brought back into use.  The Chief Officer (Governance) said that could be considered during the course of the year but not for this financial year.  Councillor Butler concurred with the views of Councillor Bithell, adding that empty properties was one of the wellbeing objectives in the draft Council Plan for next year onwards.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Tax Base of 65,026 band D equivalent properties for tax-setting purposes for the financial year 2021/22 be approved;

(b)       That a ‘nil’ discount continue to be set for properties falling within any of the Prescribed Classes (A, B or C) and for that to apply to the whole of the County area; and

(c)        That a 50% Premium continue to be set for long term empty property and second homes falling into the Council Tax Premium scheme.