Consideration was given to recommendation CE 24/35 of the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee of 6 November 2024 in respect of proposed fees and charges for garden waste subscriptions, household bulky refuse and fridge/freezer collections, ‘missed’ refuse collections, stray dog redemption fees, Tonbridge Allotments, Tonbridge Cemetery, pest control, food certificates, contaminated land monitoring and private water supplies from 1 April 2025.
Due regard was given to the set of guiding principles for the setting of fees and charges, the legal, financial and value for money implications, together with the views expressed by the Scrutiny Select Committee. The fees and charges applied by neighbouring authorities were also given careful consideration.
Consideration was given to reducing the annual garden waste subscription for those in receipt of benefits and it was recognised that this was a discretionary service that was facing significant increases in cost, that the proposed subscription price was broadly consistent with the price in other Councils across Kent, that the service represented good value for money, and that residents had a choice regarding taking up a subscription.
RESOLVED: That
(1) the proposed annual garden waste subscription of £63 per annum for the first bin and £40 for a second or third bin, as recommended by the Communities and Environment Scrutiny Select Committee, be approved;
(2) the schedule of proposed charges for household bulky refuse and fridge/freezer collection service as set out in 15.2.6 of the report, be approved;
(3) the proposed charge for “missed” refuse collection as set out in 5.3.3 of the report, be approved;
(4) the schedule of proposed charges in respect of Stray Dog redemption service, as set out in 5.4.4 of the report, be approved;
(5) the charging structure for Tonbridge Allotment as set out in 5.5.2 of the report, be noted and endorsed;
(6) the schedule of proposed charges for Tonbridge Cemetery as set out in Annex 1 and 5.6.2 of the report, be approved;
(7) the proposed continuation of the pest control subsidy for residents in receipt of Council Tax Reduction Scheme as set out in 5.7.1 of the report be approved;
(8) the proposed charge for condemned food certificates as set out in 5.8.2 of the report, be approved;
(9) the proposed charge for exported food certificates as set out in 5.9.4 of the report, be approved;
(10) the proposed charge for provision of services in respect of contaminated land as set out in 5.11.5 of the report, be approved;
(11) the proposed charge for provision of services in respect of private water supplies as set out in 5.12.5 of the report, be approved; and
(12) the above proposed scale of charges be implemented from 1 April 2025.