Questions
In accordance with Procedure Rule 11, opportunity is provided for Members of the Council to ask the Chairman, the appropriate Cabinet Member or the Chairman of a Committee any question about a matter which the Council, the Cabinet or the Committee has powers, duties or responsibilities.
Questions must be sent in writing to the Monitoring Officer at least 3 clear working days before the meeting. (Calculated from midnight to midnight).
Minutes:
The Mayor reported that two questions had been submitted by Councillor D Flude. The questions, as submitted, together with a summary of the responses, were as follows –
Question 1 - Submitted by Cllr D Flude
“Can this Council have a
full cost breakdown of the new/revised charges
2010 /2011 for a marriage at Approved Premises?
[1] Monday to Friday £385.00
[2] Saturday up to 2 pm £460.00
[3] Saturday after 2pm £600.00
[4] Sunday & Bank Holidays £500.00
[5] New Bank Holidays £800.00”
The Safer and Stronger Communities Portfolio Holder responded –
“There had been no substantive review of fees for the Registration Service in the former Cheshire County Council for a number of years. The creation of the new Authority had created an opportunity to examine the costs of the Registration Service. In the early stages of the review, it was found that the Registration Service fell a long way short from being self-funding
Research showed that approximately 70% of couples holding ceremonies at approved premises were not resident in Cheshire East and the question raised was “should Cheshire East residents subsidise this service?”
It was the view of Cheshire East Council that the basic cost of marriages or civil partnerships must be kept within the means of all residents of the Borough. It was decided, therefore, to keep the ceremony charges at the Register Office in Crewe and the Registration Office in Macclesfield throughout the week at the statutory fee set by central government of £43.50.
Fees for ceremonies at approved premises had been increased significantly which brought the Service much closer to being self-supporting.
The fees charged for Bank Holidays and Saturdays at 2.00 pm reflect demand and allow the diaries and resources to be used to their maximum effectiveness.
Despite the increased charges, early signs are indicating that bookings for the ceremony year 2010-2011 will be higher than those of 2009-2010.
Fees will be kept under review, but there is no intention to increase fees again in the near future.”
Question 2 - Submitted by Cllr D Flude
“Why have the Ward Councillors’ budgets for the un-parished parts of Crewe been removed from the 2010 /2011 Budget?
Has the £24,181 [2009 /2010] Crewe Ward Councillors’ budget been incorporated in to the Community Grants Budget?”
The Resources Portfolio Holder responded -
“The budget for 2010-11 does not include an allocation for Councillor ward budgets in Crewe as this approach has not been used in other non-parished areas across Cheshire East. However, the budget amount of £24,181 has been incorporated into the community grants pot for next year and will therefore be available for use by community and voluntary groups in all areas.”