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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
RECORD OF DECISION OF
THE Cabinet Member for Corporate Services
|
Decision Made: |
22 August 2011 |
STREET NAMING AND NUMBERING FEES
Issue for Decision
To consider the level of charges for Street Naming and Numbering set out in the report of the Head of ICT Services.
Decision Made
That the levels of charges for street naming and numbering as shown in Table 1 below, to commence with effect from 1st September 2011, be agreed.
Service |
Charge |
2009-10 |
Revenue |
2010-11 |
Revenue |
Name change |
£25 |
30 |
£750 |
17 |
£425 |
Addition of Name to numbered Property |
£25 |
6 |
£150 |
5 |
£125 |
Amendment to Postal Address |
£25 |
14 |
£350 |
15 |
£375 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Build - Individual Property |
£75 |
31 |
£2,325 |
29 |
£2,175 |
Official Registration of Postal Address previously not Registered |
£50 |
25 |
£1,250 |
18 |
£900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Development - Fee per unit/flat |
£40 |
468 |
£18,720 |
580 |
£22,800 |
Creation of New Street |
£100 |
9 |
£900 |
23 |
£2,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Renumbering of Development or Block of Flats - Fee per unit/flat
|
£20 |
0 |
£0 |
49 |
£980 |
Total |
|
|
£24,445 |
|
£30,080 |
Table 1: Proposed fees and potential revenue based upon historic SNN transactions.
Reasons for Decision
Maidstone Borough Council does not currently charge for this service, unlike most other Kent authorities who have secured an income stream based upon this activity. Information relating to charges applied by other Councils is set out at Appendix 1 of the report of the Head of ICT Services.
The Street Naming and Numbering Officer (SNNO) deals with requests from residents who wish to register their properties officially and those who wish to make changes to their current address, such as the addition of a house name. Property developers also use this service to name and number housing developments.
The SNNO ensures that:
· The correct street names are assigned to each property;
· The numbering range is consistent and not duplicated;
· New street names are agreed with all interested parties;
· The addresses are officially registered with the Royal Mail;
· All stakeholders are notified including the Emergency Services;
· The National Land & Property Gazetteer (NLPG) is updated.
The SNNO is an existing post, and no change to grade or scale is proposed at this point. The future costs of this function will be assessed as part of the review of the GIS function across MKIP.
A scale of charges should be implemented to reflect the amount of administration required to undertake this service.
In February 2011, CMT agreed in principle to levy fees for street naming and numbering, but asked that some further work be done in identifying the relevant charges for other local authorities in Kent. This work has been done and set out at Appendix 1 of the report of the Head of ICT Services.
It was proposed that the charges be implemented with effect from 01 September 2011, which will provide an opportunity to publicise the charges in advance of the changes.
Level of charges.
The proposed level of charges.
The table below uses the statistics from previous years to give an indication of what revenue would have been generated had the charges been in force at that time.
Service |
Charge |
2009-10 |
Revenue |
2010-11 |
Revenue |
Name change |
£25 |
30 |
£750 |
17 |
£425 |
Addition of Name to numbered Property |
£25 |
6 |
£150 |
5 |
£125 |
Amendment to Postal Address |
£25 |
14 |
£350 |
15 |
£375 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Build - Individual Property |
£75 |
31 |
£2,325 |
29 |
£2,175 |
Official Registration of Postal Address previously not Registered |
£50 |
25 |
£1,250 |
18 |
£900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Development - Fee per unit/flat |
£40 |
468 |
£18,720 |
580 |
£22,800 |
Creation of New Street |
£100 |
9 |
£900 |
23 |
£2,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Renumbering of Development or Block of Flats - Fee per unit/flat
|
£20 |
0 |
£0 |
49 |
£980 |
Total |
|
|
£24,445 |
|
£30,080 |
Table 1: Proposed fees and potential revenue based upon historic SNN transactions.
Rationale for level of charges
The proposed level of charges set out above are intended to represent a modest cost to private individuals, but are at higher rates for property developers and larger scale developments, where this cost is proportionately small when compared with the developer’s overall costs.
A revenue stream would cover the costs of the Street Naming and Numbering service. Ultimately, it is intended to make the post of SNN Officer self-funding.
Practice for SNN would be standardised with other Councils.
Value for money would be added for the general tax payer, as it would introduce a direct charge for the user of the service, rather than a generic charge for the Council Tax payer.
Alternatives considered and why rejected
The SNN service could be left unchanged and remain free of charge. This is not recommended because there appears to be a general expectation from both residents and commercial property developers that a charge will be levied. Feedback from some commercial Property Developers in particular suggests that they are often surprised that the service is free.
Maidstone Borough Council will also lose the opportunity to realise income that could help to cover the cost of the service.
In the current economic climate, the Council must explore every potential source of revenue and seek to exploit it if it is deemed appropriate to do so.
Background Papers
None
Should you be concerned about this decision and wish to call it in, please submit a call in form signed by any two Non-Executive Members to the Head of Change and Scrutiny by: 30 August 2011 |