Agenda item

-      Report is attached to the agenda as a supplementary item.

* RESOLVED –

1.   That the new policy for discretionary rate relief, as set out in Section 4 of the officer’s report, be approved.

2.   That the types of business listed at paragraph 5.2 of the officer’s report be excluded from the approved discretionary rate relief scheme.

3.   That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Finance and Resources to make final decisions on behalf of the Council related to the application of the approved discretionary rate relief scheme.

4.   That the proposed funding arrangements to support the administrative costs of the scheme, be approved.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To devise a scheme of discretionary rate relief that is fair, simple to understand, and easy to administer.

The Director of Finance and Resources submitted a report recommending for approval a new discretionary business rate relief scheme, to give local effect to the national funding made available in the 2017 Budget.

The report detailed the three business rate relief schemes that were announced in the Chancellor’s Budget Speech in March 2017.  One scheme introduced a £1K discount for pubs that had a rateable value below £100K. 

A second scheme of relief was also made available to ratepayers that faced large increases as a result of the loss of small business or rural rate relief. 

Members were informed that the reliefs in respect of both of the above schemes had already been distributed to all eligible businesses in the Chesterfield area.  This included 59 pubs at a cost of £72,914, and 18 businesses at a cost of £18,983.

The third scheme made available a national discretionary fund of £300m over 4 years from 2017/18, to provide support to small and medium sized businesses that faced the greatest increases in their business rate bills following the 2017 revaluation exercise.

The report detailed the annual amount of the funding that the council would receive through to 2021.  The responsibility for distributing funds was delegated by the Government to local authorities, to make certain that it was properly targeted at those ratepayers in greatest need.

The council was also granted authority to exclude certain types of business that it did not deem appropriate to support, such as national chains, Government departments and other public bodies.

It was reported that the council had followed Government guidance in determining that relief would be offered to all business ratepayers where:

·        The property had a rateable value for 2017/18 of less than £200K

·        The 2017/18 bill had increased by more than 11.0% compared to the previous year.

* RESOLVED –

1.   That the new policy for discretionary rate relief, as set out in Section 4 of the officer’s report, be approved.

2.   That the types of business listed at paragraph 5.2 of the officer’s report be excluded from the approved discretionary rate relief scheme.

3.   That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Finance and Resources to make final decisions on behalf of the council related to the application of the approved discretionary rate relief scheme.

4.   That the proposed funding arrangements to support the administrative costs of the scheme, be approved.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To devise a scheme of discretionary rate relief that is fair, simple to understand, and easy to administer.