Issue - decisions

The Borough Treasurer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Reform and Governance, has made the following decisions in line with the delegation from the Cabinet on 19 December 2017:

(1) For the Council to join the Greater Manchester Councils, Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council Business Rates Pool 2018/19.

The final decision to join the Pool was deferred by the Cabinet as the Council's forecast of Business Rates for 2018/19 had not been fully finalised in December 2017 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 the Cabinet on 19 December 2016 is now confirmed and a decision to join the Pool can now be formalised.

(2) For the Council to continue in the Grater Manchester 100% Business Rates Retention Pilot in 2018/19.

The 2018/19 Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement confirmed Greater Manchester as one of the Pilots in 2018/19. As a result a decision to continue in the 100% Business Rates Retention Pilot can now be formalised.

The Cabinet considered the forecast Collection Fund outturn position for 2017/18, the setting of the Council Tax Base for 2018/19 and providing a forecast for Business Rates income for 2018/19 and then agreed that

·         a forecast Collection Fund deficit of £1.941m in 2017/18 relating to a

Council Tax surplus of £1.287m and Business Rates deficit of £3.228m be declared;

·         the 2018/19 Council Tax Taxbase for budget setting purposes of 93,361.2 Band D equivalent properties be approved;

·         the 2018/19 forecast for Business Rates income of £83.135m be provisionally approved; and

·         the use of the Collection Fund 2016/17 growth funds and 2017/18 forecast position declared to support the Council’s MTFP and to increase the Council’s Capital Programme Investment Reserve as part of the Reserves Policy be approved.

(2) The decision to vary the Business Rates forecast presented in Table 6 be delegated to the Borough Treasurer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Reform and Governance.