Issue - decisions

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services has approved the decision for Stockport Council to join the Greater Manchester Councils, Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council Business Rates Pool for 2016/17.

The Executive, at its meeting on 16 December 2015, delegated the decision as to whether or not to join the Pool to the Corporate Director, Corporate and Support Services in consultation with the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer and Community Services).

The final decision to join the Pool was deferred as the Council’s forecast of business rates for 2016/17 had not been fully finalised in December 2015 and any material deterioration to the final forecast could have been detrimental to the above Pool arrangement.

The provisional forecast of business rates in the report to Executive on 16 December 2015 is now confirmed and a decision to join the Pool can now be formalised.

The Executive considered the forecast Collection Fund outturn position for 2015/16, the setting of the Council Tax Base for 2016/17 and a forecast for Business Rates income for 2016/17 and agreed that:-

(1) in relation to Stockport Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates Billing Area:-

·                a forecast Collection Fund deficit relating to Council Tax Revenues of £0.276m and a forecast Collection Fund deficit relating to Business Rates of £2.188m be declared for 2015/16;

·                the Council Tax Base for 2016/17 at a Band D equivalent figure of 90,697.7 be approved;

·                the forecast for Business Rates Income of £93.819m for 2016/17 be provisionally approved.

(2) the following decisions be delegated to the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services, in consultation with the Executive Councillor (Support & Governance):

·                any decision to vary the Business Rates forecast presented at paragraphs 4.9 to 4.12 of the report;

·                the decision as to whether or not to join the Greater Manchester/Cheshire East/Cheshire West and Chester Business Rates Pool as set out in section 5 of the report.