Agenda item

The Treasurer to the Charter Trust submitted a comprehensive report that provided information to initiate discussions on the budget requirement for 2012/13 and consequential level of council tax.

Charter Trustees sought clarification on the increase for Support Services. The Treasurer advised Trustees that Support Services was not just salaries it also included on costs.

Trustees discussed if they could use the reserves which would enable them to reduce the precept and sought clarification on what would happen to the reserves if a Town Council was established. Officers advised Trustees that if they lowered the precept considerably it would be difficult to increase at a later date unless they held a referendum due to the Localism Act 2011.

Trustees raised concerns should the reserves be handed over to a Town Council as this had been collected from the former City of Durham area and not the new Town Council area.

Trustees suggested that a working group be established to look at the budget then a special meeting be held early January.

Recommended: (i) That the deadline for agreeing the precept for 2012/13 be noted.

(ii) That the precept be agreed at the meeting to be held on 18 January 2012.

(iii) That a working group be established to look at the budget that consisted of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillor Martin, one Labour Member and the Clerk and Treasurer.

(iv) That a special meeting of the Charter Trust for the City of Durham be held in January 2012 to look at the budget.