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Cabinet Member for Finance Decision Meeting
Monday, 7th September 2026 at 10:00am

 
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  1. Officer
  2. Officer
  3. Tyler Jardine, Officer
  4. Julia Gibson, Officer
  5. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  6. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  7. Officer
  8. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  9. Officer
  10. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  11. Officer
  12. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  13. Officer
  14. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  15. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  16. Officer
  17. Councillor Patrick Coleman
  18. Webcast Finished

Good morning. Welcome to the cabinet member for finance decision meeting. Today we have
three items on the agenda to decide. Two of these are applications for section 13a
council tax discounts and the third item is applications for discretionary rate
relief and I think there are three applicant organisations for that agenda
item. My name is Patrick Coleman. I'm sitting in this chair because I'm the
cabinet member for finance and our constitution allows for these sorts of decisions in which
member discretion is involved to be held in public and streamed so that if anyone wanted
to attend in person they could. So I have no public to introduce but I will introduce
our officers, I'll perhaps they'll introduce themselves and I'll turn this off.
Officer - 0:01:29
Good morning, I am Chris Kent, I am the revenues manager.
Officer - 0:01:39
Good morning, Mandy Fathers, head of environmental protection, revenues and benefits.
Tyler Jardine, Officer - 0:01:43
Good morning, Tyler Jardine, Democratic Services Support.
Julia Gibson, Officer - 0:01:48
Good morning. Julia Gibson, Democratic Services Officer.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:01:53
Thank you all very much. Are there any comments received by the Democratic Services or the
officers since the publication of the agenda? No, there are not. Are there any declarations
of interest. I'll just double -cheque the organisations applying and I can
certainly confirm that I have no interests to declare with regard to
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:02:41
today's agenda and I don't think any of our officers have. I've
agenda item three application for a section 13a council tax discount this is
located in the Rissington's Ward and I'll ask Mandy fathers to introduce and
Officer - 0:03:02
summarise the paper thank you thank you so this is an application for a section
13a council tax discount under section 13a the local government finance act of
1992 the council has discretion to consider this matter the applications
being received from a resident from the upper Resington area and the applicant
has requested support to clear council tax arrears of £1 ,184 .26 relating to the 2025 -26
financial year. So the property in question is assessed as a Band B and the annual net council
tax liability for 2526 was 1792 ,993 pence.
Sorry. So the household's financial circumstances has deteriorated
significantly as a result of ongoing health issues. In September
2020 one of the households had to cease employment due to their health but
despite that they did continue to pay their council tax up until 25 -26 financial year.
But during 2025 the second member adult member of that household suffered a severe stroke
and due to ongoing housing complications they've also had to cease employment.
So their only income now is welfare benefits which includes universal credit,
personal independence and they are experiencing financial hardship.
The citizens advice have completed an income and expenditure assessment on this household.
that shows that they have a monthly budget deficit of £7 .26.
So this assessment identifies that they have no available resource to address the areas from 25 -26.
From 26 onwards, so this financial year, they are in receipt of full council tax support,
so they have no liability to pay based on their income.
So what we're asking for today is for you to consider the recommendation
that you award the Section 13A discretionary discount
in respect of the £1 ,184 and 26 pence.
There are some alternatives that you can consider
and they have been detailed in 9 .1 of the report.
But other than that, I have nothing further to add
unless you have any questions for me.
Thank you.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:06:22
Thank you very much.
Just looking at the alternative options one, two and three
in paragraph 9 .1, as I read it,
your recommendation in front of me today is option one there, isn't it? Yes. And I'm very grateful to
our team and you as leader, Mandy, for the work you've done. This to me is a very straightforward
and clear case. I fully agree with the officer's recommendation. This is a household of two
members both of whom have got severe health challenges which have removed their
chance of working. The property is band B so it's certainly a modest
property and they've gone through the correct processes to ensure they get
what benefits they can and having got the support of citizens advice which was
equally a very sound decision. So I have no hesitation in approving option one
yes to approve a discretionary reduction of £1 ,184 .26
to clear the council tax arrears for the financial year 2025 to 2026.
Thank you very much.
So we come to agenda item 4 which is the second of the application to section 13a, council tax discount.
This one is in the ward of Kemble, or the Kemble ward, which includes quite a few places apart from Kemble.
And if you could take us through this one please, Mandy.
Officer - 0:08:12
Thank you. Yes, as you stated this resident is from the Kemble Ward and they are seeking
a support under the Section 13A Council Tax Discount for the period of 25 -26 and for support
with their 26 -27 liability. So for 25 -26 they have Council Tax Rears of £65. So they are
property again is assessed as a band B dwelling and is occupied by a single
resident so they already received the single person discount of 25%. So the
annual net council tax charge for this property for 26 27 is one thousand three
hundred and sixty pounds and forty seven pence. So the applicant is a full -time
employment he is in full -time employment rather with the adult social care
sector and it has a gross annual income of 40 ,800. However, following reductions
for income tax, national insurance contributions, pension contributions,
student loan repayments and child maintenance payments, their net income is
approximately 20 ,000 pounds a year. An income and an expenditure assessment has
been undertaken which shows a monthly expenditure of £2 ,317 .72. This is
predominantly due to rent which is £1 ,000. He is on oil heating so there's
high domestic heating and hot water costs associated with that and also the
running of his vehicle which is necessary for him to continue in his
employment and going out and reaching those people that require the support. So
having considered the situation of this person, officers are asking for you
to consider the discretionary discount for £65 to clear the outstanding
arrears for £25 .26 and then a discretionary discount equivalent to
50 % of the applicant's net council tax liability for 26 -27 amounting to £680 .24.
Thank you.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:10:55
Thank you very much and as the report says, if those recommendations agreed today,
that will mean that their council tax will be reduced by 50 % for the year and
that means that they haven't paid any so far, is that right, for this
current year which is fair enough and but they would only have to pay, there's
about six months to go, we won't argue too much, so that would mean they only
had to pay about a hundred and something pounds a month for their council tax.
It's a very striking case, that's my first comment, that somebody who's clearly
got a professional job has nevertheless in the modern world, I think particularly
those student loan repayments and private rent, are challenges that my
generation certainly didn't have at this level when we were of working age.
This is a series and again I'm extremely grateful to the officers for
carrying this out. Once again there are three alternative options and the first
one is to award a full discount sufficient to clear last year's arrears
and meet the full net council tax liability
for the current year 2026 -27 and that is the one I agree with
and I therefore confirm that decision.
I'm grateful to the officers for the work they've done on this
and what is might be thought an unusual case
that just shows how the challenges of life are not
as easy perhaps as they used to be for many people.
I can move on to the next one. Can I? Oh sorry.
Officer - 0:12:54
So in the alternatives the first one was awarding a full discount sufficient to
clear the 25 -26 which you are in agreement with and meet the full net
council tax liability for 26 -27 but we're proposing, officers are proposing
that we make.
.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:14:21
So, in a sense, the second part of the meeting is a different set of applications, and these
are for discretionary rate relief.
So these are, my understanding is that these are from what may be described as voluntary
sector organisations, although some of them are quite professional.
and these therefore are not to do with council tax but with to do with business
rate relief. We're in the fortunate position of the District Council that we
get to decide these rate relief applications and when we decide in
favour of approving them most I think of the financial burden falls on the other
we are that will change somewhat in the future years. So we have Baden -Powell Hall, Palmer
Hall management and King George V playing field North Leach Trust and Friends of the
Cotswolds. And because I see also the recommendation here is to approve two discretionary rate
relief applications but to refuse to others I'm going to ask you to go
through those. Hang on is this three or four? I have three a new and two a
renewal but I've only got four in the recommendations.
Oh, that's it. So they've done a new one and they're doing, is it for two different years?
Thank you very much. Okay. Well, there will be assistance to me now. So listen to you.
Officer - 0:16:29
I can't go into too much detail because a lot of the information is on the exempt annex.
So the reasons why we have asked you to approve Baden Hall and Palmer Hall is because of their
Income and Finances, which is on the exempt copy
and the reasons for those you will see.
And then for King George V Playing Field,
North Leech Trust and Friends of Cotswolds.
Again, it's down to income and expenditure
and reserves held by those organisations.
and we are saying that they have sufficient to meet their business rate liability.
I'm not sure I can go into much more detail on camera in respect of their finances,
but it is in Annex A.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:18:03
Is it open to me to decide to go into private session in order to discuss the details of
those two for which you are recommending refusal.
And in principle, we could go into private session
to discuss the confidential information.
Okay, so if I need to do that, I will.
Thank you.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:18:46
Mr Chek, Baden -Powell Hall is located in Bourn Village. It's described as a not -for -profit
community hall that is used weekly by Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Squirrels, plus other community
groups and clubs including youth group. All is run wholly by volunteers in 2025
it's presumably calendar year 2025. They had a challenge in terms of finance I'll
summarise that up and the organisation supports the aims of the council by
supporting health and well -being and enabling a vibrant economy and the
That's for Coleman.
Yeah.
Officer - 0:19:39
Is that all so confident?
Yeah, it's all on the exempt.
It's all on the, I was extracting what I felt, I'll acknowledge.
I think everybody you talk to in the water,
the members of the open plans,
like you for that first person.
Thank you for correcting me.
That's okay.
Councillor Patrick Coleman - 0:20:27
Was there something I needed to hear there?
Okay, right.
So I'm going to do these,
the first recommendation is on page 13.
So 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 to justify an award.
And I'm approving therefore in line with the recommendation,
the discretionary rate relief applications
from Baden -Powell Hall and Palmer Hall Management.
With regard to further recommendations
involving King George V Plainfield North East Trust and Friends of the Cotswolds,
noting that the recommendation is to refuse these applications and wishing to
ensure that I have the adequate understanding and detail. We're now
moving into private session and I'll ask our officers to discontinue the broadcast.
I think, do we still record private stuff?
Welcome back. We're now back in public session to conclude the consideration of applications
for discretionary rate relief. And as cabinet member for finance, I've asked necessary questions
and listened to the analysis and read the digits and having previously approved
two applications I think we did this in public session Baden -Powell Hall and
Palmer Hall management I'm now agreeing with the officers recommendation to
refuse the following discretionary rate applications due to the financial
circumstances which don't meet the criteria to justify an award these are
for King George 5th Playing Field North Leech Trust
and Friends of the Cotswolds.
I appreciate this will be disappointing
for the organisers concerned.
And I want to stress that this in no way suggests
that the council is any less appreciative
of the work those organisations,
along with so many others,
do for our communities in the Cotswolds.
Is there anything else the officers feel I need to do?
I'm very happy with that general shaking of heads.
Webcast Finished - 0:23:25
So I'm going to declare the meeting closed.