Decisions made at Executive meeting – 5 December 2016

• Car Parking Strategy – Councillors approved a revised car parking strategy for the Harborough district to help ensure car parking facilities meet the future needs of residents, businesses and visitors. The new parking order will include a raft of improvements including better layout and signage, new ticket machines with cashless payment options, better disabled parking provision, coach parking, electric vehicle charge points, and more ‘pop and shop’ 30 minute bays. 

  Cllr Blake Pain, leader of the council, said: “We are trying to futureproof the district. We need to make sure parking provision works for future generations.”

  Car parking charges will also be introduced at the Symington Recreation Ground car park.

  Councillors agreed that there should be change to the existing car parking tariffs in council-owned car parks including an increase in parking charges in short stay car parks from 70p to £1 (up to two hours). In long stay car parks an increase was agreed from £1.20 to £2 (under four hours) and £2.20 to £4 (over four hours). Councillors said that tariffs district would still be competitive compared to other market towns.  

  The new parking order will be implemented in April 2017.

   

• Local Council Tax Support Scheme – Councillors agreed that the council tax support scheme for working age claimants will not change next year. Following public consultation, held during the summer, Harborough District Council agreed that the Council Tax Support Scheme is frozen at 15% for 2017/18. This means that working age residents claiming council tax support will continue to make a financial contribution of 15% of their overall council tax bill. Councillors had the option to increase the amount council tax support claimants pay towards the bill but, following feedback from the public, agreed to freeze the contribution at 15%.

   

• Foxton Neighbourhood Plan – Councillors agreed that, following an independent examiners recommendations, the proposed Foxton Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to referendum to be held on 26 January 2017. Neighbourhood plans are a way for communities to help decide the future of the places where they live and work. The referendum will give villagers in Foxton the opportunity to decide whether their neighbourhood plan should be adopted.

   

• Lightbulb Project – Councillors agreed that a business case should be drafted to assess whether the council should adopt a new housing support service, called the Lightbulb Project, which helps older people stay safe and well at home. The project will provide older people, and those who may require support, with one point of contact for all housing support such as aids and adaptations, energy advice and home maintenance.

   

• Waste Collection Review – Councillors agreed that an additional Christmas tree recycling collection will be provided to anyone who has signed up to the current Harborough District Council garden waste collections. They also agreed that the subscription charge for garden waste (green bin) collections should not be increased and should remain at £40 for next year. In its first year more than 18,000 residents signed up for the chargeable garden waste collection service – double the amount anticipated. For those who have not subscribed the charity LOROS will pick up Christmas trees for a minimum £5 donation but only in the Market Harborough area.  Residents will be able to subscribe to next year’s garden waste collections from 3 January 2017.

   

• Bad debt write-off – Councillors agreed that £10,628.38 of business rates should be written off as bad debt. As part of prudent financial management, the council will only take a decision to write off debt if it is irrecoverable – for example where a customer has died and there are no assets, or a business is bankrupt and has no assets.

   

View the full agenda on Harborough District Council’s website