Cabinet Member for Finance decision meeting - Monday 6 October 2025, 10:00am - Cotswold District Council Webcasting
Cabinet Member for Finance decision meeting
Monday, 6th October 2025 at 10:00am
Speaking:
An agenda has not been published for this meeting.
Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.
Good morning. This is a cabinet member for finance decision meeting. We have to discuss
the tourism levy consultation and how to allocate the funds, how the funds that have been raised
through that levy will be spent. So in addition we have a second item which may be taken in
private. My name is Patrick Coleman, I am a Councillor for Stratton and I am the cabinet
member for finance. The officers here might be able to introduce themselves using the
feet yes hello my father's business manager for environment welfare and
revenues hello I'm Chris Kent I am the revenues manager John Deere in
executive director with publica
Thank you.
So since 2021 we've had what we refer to as a tourism levy on every parking session in Botan on the Water.
It was 50 pence per session increased on the 1st of April to 60 pence per session.
So historically we've been raising 50 to 55 thousand pounds a year.
This year is anticipated to be a bit more because of the increase in the charge.
So we've estimated that during 2025 -26 we'll raise approximately £65 ,000.
There is an underspend of £40 ,000 to add to that from a previously approved project
which will now no longer go ahead.
So the total budget is in the region of £105 ,000.
Each year we undertake a public consultation.
This year we had a record number of responses,
over 400 responses to that consultation.
So the long list of projects comes from the parish council.
We then consult on them, which we did over the summer.
And the recommendations are, there were 11 projects
that we consulted on this year based
on the consultation responses, the recommendations are for the top nine
projects which then fall within that funding envelope. Each year we also have
some standard annual projects as well so the cost of employing a village warden
and a small 500 pound a year project budget for that warden and then 50 %
joint funding with the parish council on the annual refresh of the village green
and again 50 % funding with the parish council for the provisional additional
parking enforcement. So the recommendations are that we do those
that you approve those standard items and the first the top nine projects from
the public consultation.
And as I've said in the report,
that should account for all of the funding
that's available this year.
Thank you very much indeed.
This is an excellent example of constructive cooperation
between the parish council and district council.
Council, and I want to put on record my thanks to the people and particularly the parish
council in Baughton on the water for their efforts to cope with the ever increasing influx
of tourists in a practical problem solving way, coming up with the ideas for how to make
use of this fee and then consulting so thoroughly with such a large response and so positively.
And I'm tempted to read them all out just for the record because it's such a good list
and it's so rare in council life to be able to say we're going to improve drainage on
footpaths adjacent to Jubilee Orchard. We're going to repaint benches, we're going to repair paths.
So we together, not necessarily as a district council I'm sure, resurfacing and purchase of
materials for volunteers. Again, an excellent part of partnership and a lot of credit also I think
as well to our officers and to my predecessor Mike Evermy who brought this into being with the help
of officers and board and council.
So I am extremely content to approve the recommendations.
Now, do I normally read the recommendations out?
Does anybody know?
I do. Okay.
I approve the funding of the following projects
listed in order of preference
resulting from the 2025 public consultation process
in relation to the use of funds from the Boughton on the Water Tourism Parking Levy.
Commissioning of a Visitor Traffic Management Strategy,
that's the first priority, that's estimated to cost £35 ,000.
Number 2, installation of rubber matting for the Melville and Nate play areas, estimated £860.
Number 3, provision of additional parking enforcement between Christmas and New Year,
estimated £530. Number 4, set up and removal of village green railings for protection of
the green from November to March estimated at £900. Number 5, engineering works on the
footpath adjacent to Jubilee Orchard to improve drainage estimated cost £8 ,000. Number 6,
repainting of the benches in the village centre estimated cost £4 ,000.
Number 7, repair of the path around the village green estimated cost £5 ,000.
Number 8, resurfacing of the bonded area underneath circular benches on the village green estimated cost £7 ,500.
And number 9, purchase of materials for volunteers to use to make gravel footpath improvements.
Particularly, the Conigas and Manorfield footpaths estimated cost £3 ,000.
And I also approve the further recommendation for the funding of recurring annual expenditure
from the Borton on the Water 2025 -26 Tourism Parking Levy receipts.
There are four of these.
They're listed in a continuing number sequence.
So number 10, the cost of employing the village warden, £21 ,065.
The cost of providing the village warden with a small projects budget, £500.
That's number 11.
Number 12, joint 50 % funding of the annual refresh of the village green, £9 ,957.
And number 13, and last, joint 50 % funding of the provision
of additional parking enforcement £8 ,832. That, I believe, ends that item. Thank you
very much for the report and all the consultation and all the work.
Now, item 4 is confirmation of comments.
I am not quite certain what that is about.
I don't know because I have done the, well,
oh no I have jumped it I suppose.
Okay, yes I skipped it.
merged a few things together.
As you can see, I had no questions.
And there were no public questions.
Confirmation of comments received by officers.
So we had no comments to you that needed to be confirmed.
Thank you.
So that appears that I have cleared about four items
of the agenda in one go.
Which isn't quite proper.
Okeydoke.
I have also got to inform of the reason for the decision.
This is clearly in the interests of the economic and community success of the village of Bolton
on the water and is a clear example of proper consultation, proper funding and suitable
action.
OK, Agenda Item 8.
Cabinet Member Introduction for the Item on Distression Rate Belief.
We have no public, but we do have officers if you would like to introduce yourselves.
Thank you. Would you like me to go through the report, Councillor Coleman? Yes?
Yes, because an item 9 declaration of interest, I've got no declarations of interest in either of those present.
I can also add a few. Yes, please.
Thank you. Okay, so this report is to determine new applications and renewal applications in respect of discretionary rate relief
for the financial years 23 -24, 24 -25 and 25 -26.
Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1998 permits the billing authority to
grant discretionary rate relief and the Council exercises its discretion regarding its published
policy on discretionary rate relief as per Annex B.
Should discretionary rate relief be awarded in line with the report's recommendations,
it will result in a loss of non -domestic rates income of just over £24 ,500. This loss will
be shared with government, which will be 50%, and the county council, which is 10%. This
leaves 40 % of that cost born for Cotswold District Council.
So the value of the relief recommended for award
in this report, therefore, represents
a cost to the council of just short of 10 ,000 pounds.
Based on the NNDR 1 return submitted to central government
in January 2025, collectible non -domestic rating income
is estimated to be around 36 .8 million pounds of which 14 .7 million being 40 % will be Cotswold
District Council share. So the cost of the discretionary rate relief being put forward
to you this morning in this report represents less than 0 .06 % of the council share of collectible
income. I have nothing further to add unless you have any further questions
Councillor Pullman, thank you. Thank you very much. I probably will have a few
questions since I haven't carried out this particular decision -making process
I think I understand the principles of non -domestic race relief.
I was thinking of it as NNDR, national non -domestic rates relief.
And I understand that it is an area in which we as a Council have discretion.
I am interested to see if, to fully understand the criteria on which we make our decisions,
the criteria on which our staff make their recommendations.
Now I can see that is a little difficult to do without reference for illumination purposes
to specific cases, and I understand to a certain degree
to discuss specific cases would not be appropriate
in public session, is that right?
That is correct.
I can give an overall view of how we assess applications
as a whole, if that would be helpful
without going into private session, it's up to you.
Let's see how far we can get in general terms, because it is a very interesting subject and
of course it has one thing in common with the previous agenda item which is it is unusual
these days, it is an area of discretion where we can have an impact in one way in Borton
by allocating additional funds to local needs.
And here, easing the burden for many of the voluntary
and other particularly charitable organisations
that we know so well in our district.
Very nearly every one of these applicants I'm aware of
and we know they do very good work.
So I think, yes,
and I think it's worth stressing that
before we go any further,
what I think you probably referred to in paragraph six one,
the approval or refusal of individual applications
does not set a precedent
or carry any significant to the risk,
risk to the council or its residents
Does each application is considered on an individual basis?
Which does suggest that it will be appropriate for me
as a not the outsider,
but the person not most closely concerned,
I need to be able to ask questions freely.
And in your answers, you'll be likely to need to refer
for the best answer to exempt information.
Is that right?
It depends very much what your questions are related to.
But if I can just give an overall review of discretionary rate relief.
And then we'll see how we go from there.
Okay, so rate relief, discretionary rate relief under the Council's policy is for those charitable organisations
and those community interest organisations.
Under the legislation that currently is, if they're charitable, they already receive 80 %
mandatory relief from the government.
So what a lot of people have come forward to is looking to us for the 20 % top -up, so
20 % that they need to pay.
So on each application that we get through, they have to complete an application, and
with that, they send in their accounts, their latest set of accounts.
And we go through those accounts to look at the spending, look at the income, look at
what reserves they've got, what restricted reserves they've got, and then we base our
decisions based on those.
So if an organisation has quite high restricted reserves, that's usually because they're going
to be doing a project, you know, redoing a roof or something like that that's going to
cost.
but if they've got unrestricted funds, did I say restricted?
Unrestricted funds, and they have quite a surplus of those,
and it's enough for them to operate for over 12 months,
then we would probably normally say,
no, they have sufficient income to continue their,
you know, the work that they're doing in the community,
plus pay their outstanding business rates liability.
So this is why we're saying that there are some that we're saying we recommend
that you refuse those because they have sufficient funds to continue running
but the majority they don't and they also work within the council's
priorities so they meet the council's aims as well so this is why we we'd
like to support them and put those recommendations forward. I don't know if
Chris has got anything else that he'd like to add?
No?
You've covered everything which is in there, yeah.
Perfect.
Thank you very much.
And again, this being my first time carrying out this process,
I'm keen to try and make a minimum number of errors
in procedure, if nothing else, and everything else.
So, if I wanted to talk about imaginary, or we'll call it Charity X, and ask what sort
of reasons we might be refusing Charity X, their application, it would generally be because
they have a substantial turnover or a substantial surplus.
It is also in the exam tanect on the last column.
The red dot for the question.
Thank you.
So if you could...
Yes, sorry the print was rather small.
Thank you very much.
You could in the agenda for the library propose to refuse that application.
There's a couple there.
Now the names of the organisations are listed.
Although we didn't do it at item 9, because we've done item 10, I'm not quite certain
what confirmation of comments means at item 11.
What's that?
But anyway, I've not invited public questions.
but one of the applications is from an organisation that I do pay an annual subscription to, so
I better declare that as an interest. It's a very small subscription to a very ... do
I need to declare that interest in private or public?
.
Yes, I think it is reasonable for my interest to be in public session.
So yes, I declare that I am a member of the Cotswold Canal Trust.
I pay an annual subscription of something like £10 a year and receive the quarterly
magazine.
I would say in passing that until recently every member of this council received a free
copy of that magazine and an addressed envelope.
And we used to collect it at our meetings.
But yes, that is important for me to declare at this stage.
I'm going to double cheque the other organisations.
Yes, I don't have any other interests there.
So, just going to read through some of these.
Refreshing my memory, I should say.
Time for some speech.
I see some of the organisations have got multiple accounts.
Multiple accounts mean that whilst there are 13 organisations, there is more than that
The number of decisions, is that right?
23 in total.
And to offer those two refusals.
Right.
So, if it's an approval, is it...
Recommendation of 10 % top -up, is that different from an approval?
No, that's still...
That's still an approval, but we're not recommending the full 20 % and 10%.
Right, right, yes I see that.
Now I see for one here which I won't identify to be on the safe side, if it says account
is closed, that doesn't mean the organisations, it's a phrase that appears once or twice under
new applications I think on the right hand side.
So where am I?
Page 15 on the bottom right hand corner.
Yes, I think we're doing, because we're covering two different financial years as well aren't
we?
Three different financials here.
So where I say, we've got a standard phrase haven't we, 10 % top up and although an organisation
supports the aims of the council by supporting health and wellbeing, the space is partially
shared with commercial business.
Is that the usual phrase?
Yes, that appears a few times.
So if they are partially sharing with a commercial business, then we've been going for 10 % rather
than the full 20, is that right?
That seems good.
What does account is closed mean?
So that particular organisation do have a new application for their current property,
But they have also requested that we consider when they were
liable in their previous
Herodysm and their previous property
Yes, so
so therefore
We are looking at their clothes so that the business is still going the charity is still going
But they are looking for a reduction for their previous
Property as well as their latest property
The motion is closed.
It is, we don't do it often but sometimes people aren't aware of their 20 % top -up
that it's available so when they do become aware of it they sometimes ask us
to make consideration for previous years as well which is what has happened there
so although it's not something which we do often it is something we can consider.
I did. A thought crossed my mind, which may not be an appropriate question, but everybody
knows that there are two food banks in the North Cotswolds, and the, whatever it is called
here, Syrancestor, but by the look of it, only one of them has made an application.
Is that perhaps what might be?
Do we know if the other food bank has ever applied?
I was going to say the bigger one.
Sorry, I've got to turn it off.
I don't know off the top of my head.
However, I would imagine so,
because they are usually aware of the relief that is available there,
so they may have already applied for it.
but I can certainly cheque on that.
Might it be that they are using premises that are exempt
from business rates?
I'm just wondering, can you be exempt from business rates?
There's lots of things that can exempt you from business rates,
but usually with somebody who is occupying a property,
that they would be charged business rates,
and then we can look at the relief.
So probably the best thing to do there
is for me to have a look later to make sure
that they're aware that they could apply for discretionary relief if they aren't already
doing so.
I think we'll leave that there. They're not on the agenda and I shouldn't be discussing
them. I've got an idea what the answer is anyway. But I've done my declaration of interest.
I've asked about the going back a couple of years. I'm very pleased that we're able to
such a positive response to such a large number of the applicants.
Yes, the only one ...
I am not certain I have heard of HeartSafe Clinic Academy before.
Sorry, did I say something wrong?
That's okay.
Anyway, I can find out later.
SLM, that's our own ...
SLM is our ledger service provider, isn't it?
Can you explain just a little bit about how that works?
Because they operate premises that we tend to own.
Do we end up with the money going around in a circle?
I think we probably need to go into an accent meeting.
Sorry again. Right, so if I find the right set of words, you're going to tell me you
sent me them, I bet. Because it is quite a legal thing going into... Alternatively, I'll
stop asking questions. That's the best way around it. I'm very content with the... But
Consider that on reflection it's not necessary to go into exempt business and the session in which the public are excluded.
And I can't even watch it on TV, should it ever appear on their computers.
Because I'm clear in my own mind that I fully understand the criteria being used and the judgments being made for each of these applications.
and I don't need to ask any more questions than those I've already asked.
So, thank you very much to our officers for this very important part of our support for our local
communities. We love to say how, the council has always loved to say how they're supporting their
communities and occasionally organisations might say well what does that mean and here's an example
of what it means. So I will find the recommendation.
As cabinet member for finance, I confirm that I approve
the following discretionary rate relief applications
because the entities are carrying out activities
which either support the council's priorities
or have provided evidence of financial circumstances
which meet the criteria set out at Annex B Section 3 to justify an award.
Number 1 – The Big Yellow Bus Company.
Number 2 – North Cotswold Food Bank.
Number 3 – Heart Safe Clinic Academy.
Six accounts.
Number 4 – Palmer Hall Management.
Number 5 – Chern Project Limited.
Number 6 – Headspace.
Number 7 – Syrinsester Opportunity Group.
Number 8, SLM Community Leisure Charity Trust, three accounts.
Number 9, New Brewery Arts, two accounts.
Number 10, Brimfield Village Hall.
Number 11, Syrinsester Citizens Advice.
Number 12, Bolton on the Hill, old school village hall.
Number 13, Lettslade Library Limited.
I also confirm, in line with recommendation, that I refuse applications for the discretionary
rate relief applications from No. 14, the Cotswold Canals Trust, No. 15, Did Martin,
village hall and community committee and can I thank most warmly staff who've
prepared the work and supported these organisations and made these careful and
objective recommendations which I can fully trust and I reckon that ends the
meeting thank you sorry oh I see yes I've got to find those words haven't I
In those two cases where a refusal has been given, the reason, I believe, is the same,
that although the organisation meets the aims of the Council,
their reserves are sufficient to meet the business rate's liability
for the financial years concerned in their case.
or in their cases, yes, because there's only two of them.
And personally, I'm quite sorry that we can't support everybody,
but there's a set of rules, and one thing our officers are brilliant
at is generously and fairly,
generously but fairly applying the rules.
Now, I don't have to give the reason for 10 % drop -ups, do I or not?
That would be the same as the recommendations.
Those are the recommendations concerned.
Those are fine.
I'm going to cheque.
Is there anything else I need to do?
It's always been a very strange thing having a meeting of one person, but it would go nowhere
without you.
Thank you very much indeed.
I declare the meeting closed.