THE COSTS OF obtaining licences from Moray Council is set to rise with the local authority saying that for many it costs more to process than the revenue they receive.
That has brought about proposals to increase the fees charges so that costs are recovered from the 1200 licences granted each year.
Ahead of those increases the Council are seeking feedback from licence holders through a series of information sessions. These will allow questions to be asked face to face with council officials over the proposals.
The sessions take place next week in Forres, Buckie, Keith, Lossiemouth and Elgin – details on how places can be booked are on the Council’s website.
Councillor Gordon Cowie, chair of Moray Council’s Licensing Committee, said that by increasing licensing fees the council will, for the future, be looking to fully recover the costs of the service.
He added: “No profit will be made from the fee increase, we’ll simply be covering our costs. It’s only fair that we do this, otherwise taxpayers are effectively subsidising each and every application we receive.
“The revised fees reflect, as accurately as possible, the staff time and fixed costs involved with processing licence applications and will cover the cost of meeting new legal requirements.
“If you currently hold a licence, or may be affected by the changes we’ve proposed, please give us your feedback. Join us at one of the sessions or get in touch via the website.”