To recommend the Social Care, Health & Housing Fees & Charges 2017/18 to Council for approval. (Appendix D – Overview and Scrutiny comments are to follow.)

RECOMMENDED to Council

1.         That the prices of the fees and charges for 2017/18 (Appendices A and B to the Executive report), be approved.

2.         That the new fees and charges to be introduced for 2017/18 (Appendix C to the Executive report), be approvedsubject to the Director of Social Care, Health and Housing and the Director of Resources, in consultation with the Executive Members for Social Care and Housing and Resources, being authorised to determine the fees and charges for the hire of guest rooms and meeting space at Priory View, Dunstable, including arrangements for a ‘Friends of Priory View’ association to be established, prior to 1 April 2017.

3.      That the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees (Appendix D to the Executive report), be noted.

The Executive considered a report from the Executive Member for Corporate Resources that proposed the revised Social Care, Health and Housing fees and charges for 2017/18, identified new services for which it was proposed that fees and charges would be levied and identified those charges where proposed increases were significantly different from the 1% advisory increase envisaged within the 2017/18 Budget Strategy.

Following a representation by a member of the public at the Social Care, Health and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 23 January 2017, concerning the proposed charges for the guest rooms and meeting space at Priory View, Dunstable, the Executive Member for Corporate Resources moved the following amendment to recommendation 2:

“That the new  fees and charges to be introduced for 2017/18 (Appendix C to the Executive report), be approved subject to the Director of Social Care, Health and Housing and the Director of Resources, in consultation with the Executive Members for Social Care and Housing and Resources, being authorised to determine the fees and charges for the hire of guest rooms and meeting space at Priory View, Dunstable, including arrangements for a ‘Friends of Priory View’ association to be established, prior to 1 April 2017.”

Reason for decision:  To enable the Council to agree the price of the fees and charges for 2017/18 as part of delivering a balanced budget for 2017/18.

RECOMMENDED to Council

1.         that the prices of the fees and charges for 2017/18 (Appendices A and B to the Executive report), be approved;

2.         that the new fees and charges to be introduced for 2017/18 (Appendix C to the Executive report), be approved subject to the Director of Social Care, Health and Housing and the Director of Resources, in consultation with the Executive Members for Social Care and Housing and Resources, being authorised to determine the fees and charges for the hire of guest rooms and meeting space at Priory View, Dunstable, including arrangements for a ‘Friends of Priory View’ association to be established, prior to 1 April 2017; and

3.      that the comments from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees (Appendix D to the Executive report), be noted.

To receive the Social Care Health and Housing relevant fees and charges information, noting the Executive proposals and influencing where appropriate changes to Fees and Charges prior to Council.

The Executive Member for Corporate Resource introduced a report that outlined the proposed Fees and Charges 2017/18 for the Social Care Health and Housing (SCHH) Directorate.  Members supported the proposals, subject to further consideration of the planned fees for guest room hire and venue hire for residents at Priory View raised by a public speaker at the SCHH OSC meeting.

Recommended the Executive receive and approve the Social Care Health and Housing Fees and Charges for 2017/18 subject to further consideration by the Executive Member on the charges for guest room and room hire at Priory View.

Cllrs Barker and Chapman left the meeting

To receive the directorate's relevant fees and charges information, noting the Executive proposals and influencing where appropriate changes to fees and charges prior to Council.

The Head of Financial Services introduced a report that outlined the proposed Fees and Charges 2017/18 for the Directorate.  Members supported the proposals, however, subject to further consideration of the planned fees for guest room hire and venue hire for residents at Priory View as stated above.

RECOMMENDED the Committee supports the need to raise certain fees and charges where set out subject to a request from a public speaker that the charges for room hire by residents at Priory View for internal events and the cost of guest accommodation be reviewed, subject to the need for the Council to recover the costs associated with providing such accommodation.