Agendas, reports and minutes

A Special Meeting of the Highland Council will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 25 February 2016 at 10.30am.

Webcast Notice: This meeting will be filmed and broadcast over the Internet on the Highland Council website and will be archived and available for viewing for 12 months thereafter.

Your attendance at the meeting is invited and I append a note of the business to be transacted.

Yours faithfully,

Michelle Morris

Assistant Chief Executive

1. Calling of the Roll and Apologies for Absence
A’ Gairm a’ Chlàir agus Leisgeulan

2. Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.

3. Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2016/17
Buidseat Teachd-a-steach agus Cìs Comhairle 2016/17

There is circulated Report No. HC/5/16 dated 13 February 2016 by the Director of Finance which sets out information relating to the Revenue Budget for 2016/17 to allow the Council to formally agree the Revenue Budget and Council Tax for the forthcoming financial year.

The following Booklets accompany the report and are circulated separately –

Booklet A – Summary of Savings Proposals

Booklet B – Detailed Templates for Individual Savings Proposals

The Council is asked to consider the report and:-

(a) agree to accept the Scottish Government’s funding package;

(b) agree a Council Tax freeze for 2016/17 with the Council Tax at Band D for the year being £1,163;

(c) agree the savings proposals in Booklet A;

(d) agree the revenue budget for 2016/17 of £555.731m;

(e) note the initial budget outlook for years 2017/18 and 2018/19;

(f) agree to the revised strategy for the non-earmarked general fund balances and to re-classify earmarked balances as detailed in Section 14 thus allowing £12.447m of the upfront costs of £12.458m arising from the Voluntary Redundancy Scheme to be met immediately;

(g) note that the small balance of upfront costs will be met by retaining other surpluses from 2015/16 and that earmarking will only be undertaken with the express permission of the Director of Finance; and

(h) agree to change the policy regarding Non-Earmarked Reserves from 2.5% of the Net Revenue Budget to a minimum sum of £10m, equivalent to 1.8%.