Agenda and minutes

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any Personal, Disclosable Pecuniary or other interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer announced that in respect of Item 3 (Council Tax Discount for Vacant Property) all Members present at the meeting except Councillors Howard Bairstow and Nick Goodes had completed an Application for a Grant of a Dispensation in relation to “any beneficial interest” in land within the Authority’s area. The Monitoring Officer had granted the dispensation to allow all those Members that applied for a dispensation to speak and vote on this item. Councillors Goodes and Bairstow would however not take part in the debate or vote on this item.

Councillor Alan Macro declared an interest in Agenda Item 4, but reported that, as his interest was personal and not prejudicial or a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

All Members declared that they had been lobbied on Item 4.

For Council to clarify the policy as handed down from its meeting on 13 December 2012.

(All Members present except Councillors Bairstow and Goodes had been granted a dispensation to take part in the debate and vote on this item)

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 3) which sought to clarify the policy on Council Tax discount for vacant properties as handed down from its meeting on 13th December 2012.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Roger Croft and seconded by Councillor Laszlo Zverko:

That the Council:

“revise the decision from 13th December 2012 so that, with regard to empty and unoccupied property formerly within exemption class "C", it reads as follows - Limiting the duration of exemption class “C” (empty and unoccupied property) to a maximum of 28 days per unoccupied period and allowing 100% relief during that period.  The 28 day period free of council tax charges will be allowed when a property is first vacated, after which full council tax will become payable. If the property should become occupied during a period of 6 months commencing from a date of vacation, and is subsequently vacated during that same 6 month period, a further 28 day “free” period will not apply.”

Councillor Roger Croft presented the report which asked Council to clarify the policy regarding rules for Council Tax discount on empty and unoccupied property which had been agreed by Council in December 2012. This need had arisen in response to the identification of the 2012 report’s resolutions as being capable of a different interpretation than had been intended.

In December 2012 Council considered a report entitled “Technical Reforms to Council Tax”. This report made various recommendations to change council tax discounts for empty properties following the relaxation of various statutory rules and the introduction of local discretion on the extent to which relief was allowed.

The relaxation of statutory rules coincided with a reduction in government grant when council tax benefit was replaced by local council tax reduction schemes. The report’s recommendations focused on restriction of relief for vacant property in order to generate additional council tax income. This was a means to bridge the gap between the cost of council tax reduction and the reducing level of Government grant.

All recommendations were adopted by Council as policy to be applied from 1 April 2013.

Recommendation (5) to the report was “Limiting the duration of exemption class c (empty and unoccupied property) to a maximum of four weeks in any six month period and allowing 100% relief during that period”.

The reference to a six month period related to the churn on shorter term tenancies – the intention being that, if a property were to be occupied and vacated for a second time before the expiry of a six month period, a further period of discount would not be allowed. However, recent events had indicated that this recommendation might be interpreted as giving longer term empty properties a recurring entitlement to a 28 day period free of council tax every six months. This was never the intention of the recommendation. The purpose of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

To consider the proposed submission version of the West Berkshire Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) and supporting documentation and to approve these for publication for a six week period of public consultation before submission to the Secretary of State for Examination. This is a regulatory stage of the DPD process and requires Council resolution.

(Councillor Alan Macro declared a personal interest in Agenda item 4 by virtue of the fact that he lived opposite one of the sites (THE009) identified as a housing site in the DPD. As his interest was personal and not a prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interest he determined to take part in the debate and vote on the matter).

(All Members declared that they had been lobbied on this item)

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 4) concerning the proposed submission version of the West Berkshire Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) and supporting documentation. The report sought to approve these for publication for a 6 week period of public consultation before submission to the Secretary of State for Examination. This was a regulatory stage of the DPD process and required Council resolution.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Alan Law and seconded by Councillor Hilary Cole:

 “2.1    That Council resolves that:

(1)       The proposed housing allocations and settlement boundary changes in the Newbury and Thatcham spatial area as set out in Table 1 of Appendix A are included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD.

2.2       That Council further resolves that:

(1)     The proposed housing allocations and settlement boundary changes in the Eastern spatial area as set out in Table 1 of Appendix A are included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD.

2.3       That Council further resolves that:

(1)     The proposed housing allocations and settlement boundary changes in the East Kennet Valley spatial area as set out in Table 1 of Appendix A are included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD and that sites for housing within the designated Neighbourhood Area of Stratfield Mortimer are allocated in accordance with the emerging Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan.

2.4       That Council further resolves that:

(1)     The proposed housing allocations and settlement boundary changes in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) as set out in Table 1 of Appendix A are included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD.

2.5       That Council further resolves that:

(1)     New Stocks Farm, Paices Hill, Aldermaston, is included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD as a permanent site for Gypsies and Travellers.

(2)     Longcopse Farm, Enborne, is included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD as a permanent site for Travelling Showpeople.

(3)     Clappers Farm, Beech Hill, is included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD as an area of search for the provision of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation after 2021.

2.6       That Council further resolves that:

(1)     Policies C1 to C8 on Housing in the Countryside as set out in Appendix C are included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations DPD.

(2)     Policy P1 on Parking Standards as set out in Appendix C is included within the proposed submission version of the Housing Site Allocations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.