Agenda item

This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.

The purpose of this report is for Full Council to approve the calculation and setting of the Council Tax for 2021/22. This incorporates the precepts approved by all the local authorities for whom SWTC collects the council tax – county, district, town, parish, charter trustees, police and fire authorities.

Note - A recorded vote on these recommendations and amendments will be required as per the legislation.

During the discussion, the following points were raised:-

·       Concern was raised on the precept amount set by the Police, as places in the former West Somerset part of the district rarely saw a Police Officer patrolling in their area.  However, Councillors from the former Taunton Deane part of the district advised that they had received good support from the Police and were happy to pay the increase.

·       Councillors queried why there was such a comparison in the precepts for the Town/Parish Councils in the former West Somerset and Taunton areas.

The Lead Finance Business Partner advised that the Unparished Area of Taunton precept had been agreed within the budget setting for Somerset West and Taunton (SWT).  Town/Parish Councils were not limited with their precepts as SWT was.  The Taunton Chartered Trustees did not have the same powers as a Town/Parish Council so could only set a precept for the mayoralty functions.  The Community Governance Review should resolve this for the future of the Unparished area.

·       The Leader of the Council advised that the Community Governance Review was an important piece of work to be carried out especially with the possibility of a unitary council being formed in the next couple of years.

·       The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources thanked the councillors for all their comments.

In accordance with Standing Order 18(2)(i), the Chair called for a recorded vote to be taken and recorded in the Minutes.

The recommendations, which are detailed below, were put and were CARRIED with forty-nine councillors in favour and three abstaining:-

Resolved that Full Council:-

2.1Approved the formal Council Tax Resolution in Appendix A; and

2.2Noted that if the formal Council Tax Resolution at Appendix A was approved, the total Band D Council Tax would be:

Those voting FOR the MOTION: Councillors I Aldridge, B Allen, L Baker, M Blaker, C Booth, S Buller, N Cavill, S Coles, D Darch, H Davies, C Ellis, H Farbahi, E Firmin, A Govier, A Hadley, J Hassall, R Henley, Mrs M Hill, J Hunt, M Kravis, R Lees, S Lees, L Lisgo, M Lithgow, J Lloyd, D Mansell, A Milne, C Palmer, D Perry, M Peters, H Prior-Sankey, A Pritchard, M Rigby, F Smith, F Smith-Roberts, V Stock-Williams, P Stone, A Sully, N Thwaites, A Trollope-Bellew, R Tully, T Venner, S Wakefield, A Wedderkopp, D Wedderkopp, B Weston, K Wheatley, L Whetlor and G Wren.

Those ABSTAINING from voting: Councillors M Barr, R Habgood and S Pugsley.