Agenda item

To review the Council’s Fees and Charges for 2026/27, in line with the Budget Strategy considered by Cabinet on 15 December 2025.

Members considered the Review of Fees and Charges 2026/27, presented by Councillors Boden, Seaton, and Tierney.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Murphy asked why the charges for the Whittlesey Fair are lower in cost than any of the other main towns? Councillor Seaton stated that the cost is reflected by the size of the Fair and the amount of time the Fair spends in the towns. He continued for Whittlesey this is a small Fair held over a couple of days using limited space which is why the charges are lower than other towns in the area.

·       Councillor Roy stated that the garden waste charge is increasing to £49 for direct debit, whereas if the customer is paying cash or card it will be increasing to £60, which is significantly higher, which he feels is discriminatory due to the fact that they are paying £60 as opposed to £49 given that there are areas of deprivation and people are struggling to balance their budget, and feels this needs some consideration. He made the point that there is a cost of £40 for the bulky waste, which is a reasonable price to take away five items, however, there has been evidence that on a weekly basis councillors are contacting the fly tipping team with issues in their area and suggested considering having an amnesty once a year where people can come and drop their rubbish at the dump in larger vehicles at a reduced rate. Councillor Tierney responded that the reason the prices are different for the Brown Bin garden waste is because the Council would like to encourage people to pay by direct debit which a lot of businesses and organisations are undertaking now as it is easier and cheaper with less to pass onto the taxpayer, however Fenland does still remain to be the cheapest in the East of England where this is concerned. He continued when thinking about the suggestion of an amnesty he recommended that O&S think about this separately and propose a full plan to the Council to see if this is a feasible option.

·       Councillor Booth stated that a report was taken to Cabinet regarding the Port and asked if the action plans are going to be implemented this year as there has been several reviews and as, yet no action plans have been put in place. Councillor Boden responded that action has been taken but agreed it has been slow, as of today the Council are awaiting responses from interested parties concerning the Port, but discussions have not yet been concluded and until these discussions are concluded, a report will not be possible to be submitted to the Cabinet. Councillor Booth suggested that under commercial fees where it stated, ‘a review of operations’, this means that a decision is going to be made once the actions have been completed. Councillor Boden agreed that this is something worth thinking about but was not going to prejudice anything at this present time.

·       Councillor Miscandlon stated that under the burial section of the fees and charges it states a child’s plot but there is no definitive age, and asked should there be a definitive age because in the earlier paragraph it does state 0-12 years and at what ages does a child become eligible for a plot charge is it after 12 years old as this is not stated in the fees? Councillor Boden stated that he will take this back to officers as this is an anomaly and he was grateful that this has been pointed out.

Members noted the information provided.