Cabinet Member for Finance Decision Meeting - Thursday 25 June 2026, 10:00am - Cotswold District Council Webcasting
Cabinet Member for Finance Decision Meeting
Thursday, 25th June 2026 at 10:00am
Speaking:
Agenda item :
Start of webcast
Share this agenda point
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Officer
-
Officer
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Nickie Mackenzie-Daste, Officer
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Officer
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Officer
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Officer
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Councillor Patrick Coleman
-
Nickie Mackenzie-Daste, Officer
Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.
Welcome to today's cabinet member decision meeting.
My name is Councillor Patrick Coleman and I am cabinet member for finance.
The offices present are, and perhaps you would press the button as I announce you, Mandy
Nicky Mackenzie Dask, Senior Democratic Services Officer.
Good morning.
Tyler Jardine, Democratic Services Officer. Good morning Councillor. Good morning. This
meeting is being streamed live to the Council's website and all of the meeting
papers other than those which are exempt from publication are also available to
for you on the Council's website.
Please ensure that microphones are only switched
on when speaking.
Please also ensure that all mobile phones
and electronics are switched off or put on to silent mode.
Today's meeting is to consider an application submitted
to the Council for a discretionary Council tax
discount and three new applications
with 13 renewal applications for discretionary rate relief,
often known as discretionary business rate relief.
The agenda has been published in advance and I note that certain items fall under
Part 2 exempt information in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972
Schedule 12A. Those items will therefore be considered in private session. For the
public record, items 1 and 2 will be considered under Part 1 and are open to
the public. Item 3 is exempt under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of
Local Government Act 1972 and will be considered in Part 2.
At the appropriate point in the agenda, the meeting will move into closed session and
any members of the public or press present will be asked to withdraw.
We will now proceed with the agenda, beginning with Item 1.
An application for a Section 13A Council Tax Discount.
Could I have an officer overview of the report?
Thank you.
So the Council has received an application from a former resident of Chipping Camden
requesting the application of a discretionary discount to the arrears of their Council Tax
account for the period of the 1st of April 2023 to the 18th of September 2023. The property
concerned was assessed as a BAN C with a 2324 net charge of £641 .42 for the period of liability.
Under section 13a of the Local Government Finance Act 92 as amended the council has the discretion
to reduce council tax liability in individual cases
where applicants are experiencing financial difficulties.
So the application relates to the applicant's former address
which was vacated in September of 2023.
During the relevant period,
the applicant was financially supported
by his elderly parents.
Although they would likely have been eligible
for council tax support and other benefits,
no claims were made due to the mental health
and related medical issues.
The applicant is currently in receipt of universal credit
and personal independence payments at their present address
and is unable to increase their income
due to ongoing health conditions.
They are also in receipt of full council tax support.
An income and expenditure assessment indicates
a marginal surplus, however, this does not provide sufficient capacity to absorb any
unforeseen or additional expenses. The applicant also has no savings available to address the
outstanding debt. To date, the applicant has made a payment of £8 .44 towards accounts
tax arrears, leaving a remaining balance of £632 .98. That's the summary of the case.
Councillor, thank you. I just ask a question or two whilst it's not strictly
important does the applicant still live within our district? The applicant does, yes.
As I read it here, all the liability for unpaid council tax is before April 2024.
I'm looking at paragraph 32 here.
It says 2023 net charge of £641 .42.
So I hope it's in order for me to ask if we can confirm or not whether the
applicant is able to pay any current council tax due to this council. So the
applicant is currently in receipt of full local council tax support which
means that their income is limited. As you will see from the report as well
they are reliant on benefits with no surplus income to address the debt, hence the request
and the recommendations to use your section 13a discretion.
I have three options it says here paragraph 9 .1 award a full discount, a partial discount or not
a discount. And I'd like to thank officers for the work they've done in preparing this report,
and for the answers they've given. It's a very clear case, and the facts are very clearly stated,
and the detail is appropriate. Too much more detail would risk, in my view, put at risk
confidentiality which an applicant is entitled to legally. And I've read this
paper before the meeting and given it some consideration and taking into
account the answers I've had to questions and the content of the report
I believe I am in a position to give a decision is that correct? Thank you. I
It does say on my guidance notes that I must give, must inform the Democratic Services
Officer of the reason for the decision. So I think that the reason for my
decision is taking all factors into account and considering the particular
needs of the individual and the very limited prospect of obtaining any
significant further funds towards the debt that was outstanding. This is the
appropriate decision taking into account the level of debt and the particular
individual circumstances of the individual concerned.
Thank the officers again very much indeed for the work they've done in
for that item. Come to the next decision, decision two, applications for discretionary rate relief.
We have to consider three new applications and 13 renewal applications for discretionary rate relief.
And the way the agenda is structured, it seems to me that if I'm to ask any questions or
to conduct any discussion, it's very likely that this would breach confidentiality.
Is that the position?
I have to be careful to not disclose exempt information.
I'm a great fan of the Local Government Act 1972 because,
apart from anything else, it's run for a very long time.
And I can actually remember when that Local Government Act
was introduced.
Mr. Lett, I think I was still at university.
The serious point here is that it seems to me that questions
that I might ask on these applications are almost certain
to breach paragraph three of schedule 12A.
And so I think I'm going to exclude the present, yes,
I've decided I wish to exclude the present public
from the meeting during consideration of these items.
And I therefore move the necessary resolution,
move the motion, which is written down here.
In accordance with regulation 11 of the local authorities
Executive Arrangements, brackets, meeting and access to information, close brackets,
England regulations 2012. The public be excluded from the meeting during
consideration of agenda item 12 on the grounds that it involves the likely
disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 as per part 1 of
schedule 12a to the local government Act 1972. Before I actually confirm that
recommendation, is the list of names of the applicants exempt information, say the organisations?
So I could at least go as far as to read those out. That's very helpful too.
And there are three new ones, which are the first three, which are all going to be considered
in the same way. So we have, in fact I think they're listed somewhere in the agenda perhaps.
We have applications from Headspace, GWAS Ambulance, Baughton Gymnastic Club Limited,
Palmer Hall Management, Cherne Project, I think that's got a new name now hasn't it?
But I've forgotten it now. Everybody knows the term project.
Headspace under a second category.
Cirencester Opportunity Group.
New Brewery Arts, two applications.
Borton on the Hill, Old School Village Hall.
Lettslade Library. North Cotswold Food Bank.
and then four more. Heart Safe Clinical Academy, CIC, the village committee, just looking to
see, oh well it's a village in Erming Ward, don't think it actually says here what the
is, but that's okay. The Trustees Old School Committee in Morton West Village Hall and
the Cirencester -based Citizen Advice Bureau. Right. So I can now, I think, confirm the
recommendation to exclude the public.
And before I do.
Just to note that the decision will be published along with the minutes of the
meeting, um, minus any of the details that would have been exempt.