Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Mullin introduced the report which set the rationale for charging and the call for an annual review of fees and charges.  The outcome of the review was appended to the report.

            The report also outlined work to date on the recommendations, in relation to income generation and fees and charges, which were endorsed by Cabinet in July 2019, including:

• Applying an inflation uplift to applicable fees and charges as part of the 2020 review using either the Consumer Price Index including owner occupier Housing costs (CPIH), market rate comparison or the local/Council’s rate (as part of the work to ensure full cost recovery by 2022);
• Work undertaken to assess whether fees and charges were achieving full cost recovery where permitted to do so and the development of a template to enable service areas to calculate it; and
• A review and update of the Income Generation Policy to ensure a framework for income generation, including consistent charging and cost recovery structure.

The Income Generation and Marketing Manager explained that applying the principles contained within the Council’s Income Generation Policy, and those agreed by Cabinet in July 2019, to the 2020 annual review of fees and charges, had ensured that any increases were appropriately managed to prevent large or unexpected changes to fees and charges from 1^st October 2020.

The work to determine whether full cost recovery was being achieved for all services, where it was permissible for them to do so, had taken place  A cost recovery template was developed, which was tested by service area, and the outcome was a finalised and tested cost recovery template.  The template was distributed to all service areas as part of the 2020 review of fees and charges for them to use, to assess if the fees and charges applied by their service were set at a level that enabled full cost recovery.

Some services operated in a more commercial market and may have selected to set fees and charges in line with the market rate.  Doing so prevented adverse impact on service demand and associated income, and was consistent with the objectives and principles of the Council’s Income Generation Policy.

The updated Income Generation Policy provided more detail around the process for the annual review of fees and charges and incorporated the criteria, as approved by Cabinet in July 2019, for the review of existing, and the introduction of new fees and charges.

Councillor Banks welcomed the report, particularly the detail on concessions in the appendix. 

The Chief Executive explained that the generation of additional income, including that from fees and charges, was part of the strategy of options to meet the challenge of the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

            As Chair of Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Carver made the following observations:

“I am satisfied with the report and concur with the Recommendations.

Had there been an actual CRO&SC meeting, I would have asked:

1. Under Garden Waste Collections, the fees with effect from 1^st October are shown as TBC and the end column states, Decision on charges pending following partial suspension of service during 2020.
   
   This is at variance to what is shown on Flintshire County Councils – Garden Waste Collection Service webpage where it states,
   
   “Residents who had subscribed for the 2020 service prior to its suspension will be offered a £8 reduction in their subscription charge for 2021 in recognition of the withdrawal of collections between March and June.”

2. The mechanism of how fees are quoted by Officers when the actual service required is not listed?”

In response to question one, the Chief Executive said the decision to provide a refund to households superseded that question.  He would seek clarification with Councillor Carver on his second question and provide him with a response.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the schedule of fees and charges documented in Appendix A, for implementation on 1^st October 2020, be approved;

(b)       That the work undertaken to implement the recommendations and criteria endorsed by Cabinet in July 2019 for the annual review of fees and charges, ensuring they are set to enable full cost recovery or market rate comparison wherever possible, be noted; and

(c)        That the updated Income Generation Policy be approved.