Meeting about 2022/23 council budget – including 3% council tax hike in Rochdale – cancelled as not enough councillors turned up

A meeting to run the rule over budget proposals for the next financial year – including a 3% hike in council tax – had to be abandoned as not enough councillors turned up.

Rochdale Council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee was due to examine a 16-item agenda on Tuesday night, with the focus very much on spending, revenue and investment.

However only three councillors made the Number One Riverside meeting – chair Councillor Michael Holly and Councillor Stephen Anstee of the Conservatives, and Labour vice-chair Councillor Shaun O’Neill.

At least five councillors have to attend the meeting for it to be deemed ‘quorate’ and for proceedings to go ahead.

While some had sent apologies in advance, other members of the cross-party panel were recorded as ‘absent’.

After allowing an extra 15 minutes for further members to join, the meeting was abandoned – leaving Councillor Holly to offer his profuse apologies to council officers who were there to present their reports.

He said: “We are not quorate, which I find hugely disappointing.

“As far as I’m aware, this is the first time I have ever been in this situation with Rochdale – certainly for the budget.”

However, he praised officers for ‘working hard’ on the budget proposals and for providing ‘very thorough’ answers to the detailed questions he had raised with them over recent weeks.

He added: “Sorry for wasting your time. You have all worked extremely hard and this should not be happening.”

Proposals to increase council tax by 2.99% for local purposes – including a 1% rise in the adult social care precept – were expected to generate most debate among councillors.

It would mean average Band D households would pay an extra £51 per year to the council for general services and adult care.

The Greater Manchester Mayor's policing precept will increase by £10 for Band D properties and an increase of £12 (for Band D properties) for his general precept – including fire services – is expected to be confirmed later this month.

It means, overall, Band D properties will see their annual bill jump from 2,036.62 to £2,110.26 from April this year.

 

 

 

Band A households – which are the majority of properties in Rochdale – would see an overall rise of just over £49.15 taking their total yearly bill to £1,406.89 from £1,357.73 in 2021/22.

A report to the committee notes that, while the government has committed to a three-year finance settlement for local authorities, only the money for 2022/23 has been confirmed to date.

“The planned significant reforms to the local government funding system are now expected to be introduced from 2024/25 at the earliest. At this stage the impact of these reforms on individual authorities is unknown,” it states.

It adds that the increase in ‘spending power’ assumes that English councils will continue to increase council tax by 1.99% per annum and raise the Adult Social Care precept of 1% per annum’ over the next three financial years.

The council is also proposing a £3m council tax reduction scheme to help working age-households in receipt of council tax support or facing financial difficulties.

This is largely funded by one-off monies, with a further allocation £0.8m from the collection fund, which has a £3.8m surplus owing to Covid relief funding from the government.

This surplus will also pay for the establishment of a £0.4m hardship fund to support vulnerable residents, as well as to tackle energy and service ‘pressures’.

The remaining balance will be put into reserves ‘to smooth the ongoing recovery of the collection fund and commercial income’.

This is as the government is allowing councils to spread the deficit from their 2020/21 collection funds over three years, rather than settling immediately as has previously been the case.

Elsewhere, the council is also proposing a blanket 2% increase in the fees and charges it levies for certain services, such as licensing, planning advice and pitch-hire.

However, there are a number of exemptions, including car parking, taxi licences and music service charges.

Fees for replacing lost or damaged wheelie bins are also set to be scrapped, while residents will be entitled to two annual ‘bulky waste’ collections, without incurring any extra charges.
 

Read more: People in Rochdale will soon be entitled to two free bulky waste collections every yearPublished: 26 January 2022

The proposals were due to go before the cabinet for approval on Thursday 10 February before the annual budget setting meeting on 23 February, but the budget scrutiny committee meeting has been rearranged for 17 February with the next cabinet meeting delayed to 22 February as a consequence.

The attendance record for the budget scrutiny committee cancelled on Tuesday night  (8 February), is as follows:

Present

• Councillor Stephen Anstee (Con)
• Councillor Michael Holly (Con, chair)
• Councillor Shaun O’Neill (Lab, vice chair)

Apologies

• Councillor Allen Brett (Lab)
• Councillor Peter Joinson (Lab)
• Councillor Linda Robinson (Lab)
• Councillor Donna Williams (Lab)
• Councillor Elsie Wraighte (Lab)

Absent

• Councillor Ali Ahmed (Lab)
• Councillor David Bamford (Lib)
• Councillor Kallum Nolan (Lab)
• Councillor Faisal Rana (Lab)

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter