Issue - items at meetings - Fees and Charges

Joint report of the Strategic Directors: Place and Resources (copy attached).

(1)               That the fees and charges for Life Events as detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 3 to the report be approved and recommended to Budget Council; and

(2)               That the fees and charges for Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Building Control as shown in Appendices 6 to 15 to the report be approved and recommended to Budget Council. 

163.1    Councillor J. Kitcat introduced the report which set out the proposed fees and charges for 2012/13 for Bereavement Service and the Register Office within Life Events and for Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Building Control.  He noted that there would be a further review in 2013/14 in regard to the Bereavement Service and Register Office and that whilst he would prefer not to have to see an increase in charges, it was necessary to maintain and improve services. 

163.2    Councillor Mitchell expressed her concern over the need to increase bereavement and burial charges in the current economic climate and queried the decision not to enable a subsidy for pensioners and those on income benefit for pest control services.

163.3    Councillor J. Kitcat stated that there was a need to balance the council’s overall budget and that any proposals would be considered as part of the consultation process.

163.4    Councillor Duncan noted that the concessions in respect of the pest control service had been removed by the previous administration and that in comparison to private companies it was still cheaper and provided a quality service.

163.5    Councillor G. Theobald suggested that the comparator authorities listed in the report were not similar to that of Brighton & Hove and queried why others such as Southampton, Portsmouth and Bristol had not been used.  He also noted that cremations at the Woodvale Cemetery on Saturdays were more expensive than those at The Downs.

163.6    Councillor J. Kitcat stated that the comparators used were those listed as part of the council’s family of authorities for auditing purposes.  With regard to the Saturday cremations whilst they were more expensive, the number was still increasing.

163.7    RESOLVED:

(1)         That the fees and charges for Life Events as detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 3 to the report be approved and recommended to Budget Council; and

(2)         That the fees and charges for Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Building Control as shown in Appendices 6 to 15 to the report be approved and recommended to Budget Council.