Agenda and draft minutes

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests and the nature of that interest, including the existence and nature of the party whip, in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

Any Member with an Affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made. There were no indications that members would be participating while under the party whip.

To ask the Overview & Scrutiny Commission to consider what action to take in respect of a call-in of the Cabinet’s decision in relation to the Council’s Discretionary Rates Relief Policy for Charitable Organisations.  The implementation of the Cabinet decision has been deferred pending consideration by the Commission.

Explanation of the Call-In Procedure

The Chair, Councillor Pickering, explained the call-in procedure, emphasising the Commission’s responsibility for accountability, transparency, and improving decision-making quality. The call-in met the criteria and was related to the Cabinet’s decision taken on 18 March 2025 concerning the Discretionary Rates Relief Policy for Charitable Organisations.

Presentation by Councillor Smith

Councillor Smith, representing the councillors who triggered the call-in, detailed the reasons for this action. He expressed significant concern about the Cabinet’s decision, particularly highlighting its negative impact on local charities due to the proposed £70,000 reduction in discretionary rates relief. Councillor Smith stressed the policy could disproportionately affect these organisations, recommending that Cabinet reconsider this decision.

Questions to Councillor Smith

Commissioners queried what consultation had been taken into account by Cllr Smith when considering whether or not to call-in the decision. He acknowledged he had not undertaken any specific consultation and clarified that limited charity responses were received, raising concerns about consultation engagement, and the inadequacy of details provided around the hardship fund provided in the decision.

Response by Councillor Neil

Councillor Neil, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Improvement, outlined the Cabinet’s rationale, emphasising the need for a formalised discretionary rates relief policy to ensure fairness and targeted support to local charities. She referenced the comprehensive consultation and Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA), reinforcing Cabinet’s commitment to support charities significantly impacted through the hardship fund.

Questions to Councillor Neil

Commissioners sought detailed clarifications on several points, notably the financial implications for charities, criteria and operation of the hardship fund, and the thoroughness of the EQIA. Councillor Neil provided comprehensive responses, highlighting that approximately 70% of charities would remain unaffected by this decision and stressing flexibility within the hardship fund to respond effectively to individual charity circumstances.

Debate

Commissioners engaged in extensive debate, discussing the necessity and impact of the policy, transparency of the consultation and EQIA processes, and sufficiency of hardship provisions. Arguments were presented both in support of the Cabinet decision's integrity and those emphasizing significant concerns about transparency and impact on the charitable sector.

Vote

Following debate, the Chair called for a recorded vote on whether to refer the matter back to Cabinet for reconsideration. The motion to refer the decision back to Cabinet was defeated.

Results of recorded vote

Councillor Pickering (Chair) – against

Councillor McLean (Vice Chair) – in favour

Councillor Barnard -in favour

Councillor C Eberle – in favour

Councillor M Forster – in favour

Councillor Haffegee - against

Councillor Pressland - against

Councillor Webb - against

Councillor Allen (Substitute) – in favour

Councillor Brown (Substitute) - against

Councillor Cochrane (Substitute) - against

Councillor Penfold (Substitute) - against

RESOLVED: that no further action be taken concerning the Cabinet’s decision on discretionary rates relief, meaning the original decision will come into effect immediately.