Agenda and decisions

To elect a Chair for the Council Tax Setting Committee for the Civic Year 2025/26.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Ian Albert be elected as Chair of the Council Tax Setting Committee for the Civic Year 2025/26.

Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday on the day of the meeting.

Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting.

No apologies for absence were received.

Councillors Sean Nolan and Paul Ward were absent.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 23 January 2025.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23 January 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered.

There was no other business notified.

Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda.  Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote.

(1)       The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded.

(2)       The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

(3)       The Chair advised that Members were required to be present for the entire item at this meeting in order to take part in the vote.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

There was no public participation at this meeting.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – RESOURCES

To set the Council Tax Base for 2026/27 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992 and the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012 (the Regulations).

RESOLVED: That the Committee:

(1)       Set a non-collection rate of 1% for 2026/2027.

(2)       Set the Council Tax Base for 2026/2027 at 51,529.0 and that the individual sums shown in Appendix A for each Parish be agreed.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To fulfil the statutory requirement to set a Council Tax Base for the District and to enable Major and Local Precepting Authorities to set their levels of Council Tax for 2026/2027.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – RESOURCES

To inform Members of the reporting processes for the NNDR 1 Return and to approve the Draft NNDR1 Return for 2026/27.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the Draft NNDR 1 was approved.

(2)       That it be noted that the final version of the NNDR1 would need to be returned to MHCLG by Tuesday 3 February.

(3)       That the Committee delegated any amendments to the return resulting from changes to the return and any additional guidance to the Director – Resources in consultation with the Committee Chair.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To comply with statutory requirements.