Decision details

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking members approval on proposals to increase this Committee’s fees and charges with effect from 1 April 2023.

Members were reminded that:

·      The annual review of the Council’s fees and charges had been undertaken as part of the budget setting process for the forthcoming 2023/24 financial year.

·      The Council’s budget forecast allowed for a 5% inflationary increase in the level of income for the 2023/24 financial year.

·      Following a further review of the forecast by Policy and Finance Committee in September 2022 it was recommended that fees and charges income should be increased by the rate of September’s CPI (10.1%).

·      This review therefore has aimed to increase budgeted fees and charges income for 2023/24 by 10.1% as a minimum when compared with this year’s original budget estimate.

The Report noted that:

·      As planning application fees are set by Central Government they fall outside of the remit of this review and at this time no increases are anticipated for the 2023/24 financial year.

·      Pre-application advice fees are however set by RVBC as the relevant Local Planning Authority and have therefore been included in the annual review set out in Annex 1.

·      Building control fees are calculated in accordance with The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010 on a cost recovery basis, with any surplus or deficit from the service being held in a separate earmarked reserve and that fees were last increased in April 2022.

As a non-statutory function this service is in competition with other providers of building control services, both from other local authorities and from within the private sector. Following a review of budgeted costs and expected demand levels for next year and of neighbouring authority charges, the section had proposed that building control fees and charges are not increased in April 2023.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the proposed fees and charges as set out in the Annex to the report.