Agenda item
Motion C: Ending the "Double Taxation" of Managed Housing Estates; Proposed by Cllr Thomas Ashby, seconded by Cllr Liam MacKenzie
The Council Notes That:
· Many residents across West Oxfordshire, including those in newer developments in my area, are subject to a system of ‘double taxation'
· These residents are legally required to pay their full council tax to local authorities, whilst simultaneously paying mandatory, escalating estate management fees to private companies to maintain public green spaces
· This creates an unfair, two-tier system where residents on unadopted estates pay significantly more for the same or lesser council services than those living on traditionally adopted council-maintained estates
· The current model of leaving public open spaces in perpetuity under private management companies leads to poor accountability, high administration charges, and a lack of democratic oversight
The Council Believes That:
· Public spaces on new housing developments should be viewed as community assets for all residents, and their maintenance should be the democratically accountable to local authorities
· It is fundamentally unjust to charge residents full Council Tax if a local authority is not adopting or maintaining the immediate public open space surrounding their homes
The Council Resolves To:
Adopt a Default Adoption Policy:
1. Ask the Executive and Planning Department to review local planning frameworks, including the Local Plan, to ensure that, moving forward, all new housing estates in the district are adopted by the local authority as a matter of default, provided they meet the standard adoption criteria
Explorer Adoption of Existing Facilities:
2. Set up a cross-party working group to investigate the financial and legal mechanisms required for the Council to adopt existing managed estates, freeing residents from private maintenance contracts
Lobby for Council Tax Relief
3. Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and local Members of Parliament, calling for a change in national policy to allow local authorities to legally offer a Council Tax discount or rebate to residents who are forced to pay private estate management fees for unadopted public infrastructure.
Investigate Interim Discretionary Relief:
4. Ask the Executive to request that officers to produce a report on whether any temporary, local discretionary Council Tax relief or hardship schemes can be applied under existing legislation to mitigate the financial burden on affected residents in the interim.
Minutes:
Councillor Thomas Ashby introduced a motion addressing concerns that residents on newer housing estates were paying both council tax and private estate management charges. The motion was as follows;
“The Council Notes That:
· Many residents across West Oxfordshire, including those in newer developments in my area, are subject to a system of ‘double taxation'
· These residents are legally required to pay their full council tax to local authorities, whilst simultaneously paying mandatory, escalating estate management fees to private companies to maintain public green spaces
· This creates an unfair, two-tier system where residents on unadopted estates pay significantly more for the same or lesser council services than those living on traditionally adopted council-maintained estates
· The current model of leaving public open spaces in perpetuity under private management companies leads to poor accountability, high administration charges, and a lack of democratic oversight
The Council Believes That:
· Public spaces on new housing developments should be viewed as community assets for all residents, and their maintenance should be the democratically accountable to local authorities
· It is fundamentally unjust to charge residents full Council Tax if a local authority is not adopting or maintaining the immediate public open space surrounding their homes”
The Council Resolves To:
Adopt a Default Adoption Policy:
1. Ask the Executive and Planning Department to review local planning frameworks, including the Local Plan, to ensure that, moving forward, all new housing estates in the district are adopted by the local authority as a matter of default, provided they meet the standard adoption criteria
Explorer Adoption of Existing Facilities:
2. Set up a cross-party working group to investigate the financial and legal mechanisms required for the Council to adopt existing managed estates, freeing residents from private maintenance contracts
Lobby for Council Tax Relief
3. Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and local Members of Parliament, calling for a change in national policy to allow local authorities to legally offer a Council Tax discount or rebate to residents who are forced to pay private estate management fees for unadopted public infrastructure.
Investigate Interim Discretionary Relief:
4. Ask the Executive to request that officers to produce a report on whether any temporary, local discretionary Council Tax relief or hardship schemes can be applied under existing legislation to mitigate the financial burden on affected residents in the interim."
Councillor Graham expressed support for the principle of the motion but proposed that it be referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He advised that the issues raised were complex, involving financial, legal and policy considerations, and would benefit from detailed examination with officer and legal support.
Councillor Enright supported referring the motion to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, noting that concerns about estate management charges had been raised previously and that a task and finish group was expected to consider the issue alongside relevant Local Plan and national legislative developments.
The proposer and seconder agreed to the amendment to refer the matter for further investigation, and this was put to a vote and agreed by Council.
Council resolved to:
1. Refer the motion to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for detailed consideration and review.
38 votes for, 0 against, 0 abstentions
The Chair closed meeting at 16:37