Issue - meetings

Resolved to Recommend:

1.     to introduce a Supporting Small Business rate relief scheme

2.     to introduce a Support for Pubs rate relief scheme

3.     consultation with Herts County Council on option 3 of the cabinet report for the Revaluation Relief scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Finance & Resources)  in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance & Resources to agree to introduce a scheme based on these principles after the County’s response is received

4.     to introduce a 100% rural rate relief scheme

5.     to introduce a Local Newspaper rate relief scheme

6.     that authority be delegated to the Portfolio Holder for Finance & Resources to agree the introduction of future discretionary rate relief schemes which are proposed,  fully funded and have detailed guidance provided by Government

Decision

Resolved to Recommend:

1.     to introduce a Supporting Small Business rate relief scheme

2.     to introduce a Support for Pubs rate relief scheme

3.     consultation with Herts County Council on option 3 of the cabinet report for the Revaluation Relief scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Assistant Director (Finance & Resources)  in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance & Resources to agree to introduce a scheme based on these principles after the County’s response is received

4.     to introduce a 100% rural rate relief scheme

5.     to introduce a Local Newspaper rate relief scheme

6.     that authority be delegated to the Portfolio Holder for Finance & Resources to agree the introduction of future discretionary rate relief schemes which are proposed,  fully funded and have detailed guidance provided by Government

Reason for Decision

To consider the introduction of discretionary business rate relief schemes to provide additional help for businesses in line with announcements made by the Chancellor in the 2017 Spring Budget

Corporate Objectives

These reliefs will support the corporate objective of Ensuring economic growth and prosperity.

Monitoring Officer/S.151 Officer Comments

Monitoring Officer:  

No comments to add to the report.

Deputy S.151 Officer

This is a Deputy S151 Officer report.

Advice

Councillor Elliot introduced the report and said that the recommendations set out would enable Dacorum to implement various business rate relief schemes announced by the Chancellor at the last Budget and where the details were not finalised until June. Government are fully funding these schemes, so there is no cost to DBC. The details of most schemes have been set by DCLG, but we have a degree of flexibility about the “Revaluation relief” scheme, discussed in section 4 of the report. The proposed option demonstrates the commitment of Dacorum to help support small local businesses.  

C Baker added that there were a range of different schemes, those set as national legislation for longer periods of time and those allowing local government to implement short term schemes and will be fully funded.

Councillor Williams felt that this was fairly straightforward and supported by government.

Councillor Tindall referred to the backlog of appeals and asked if that was a result of the government guidance and would the situation change.

C Baker said there were new ways to put in place for rate payers; however they wouldn’t know the impact of this for another few years.

Councillor Williams asked if the situation with the backlog was improving.

C Baker said that the backlog nationally had been cleared but this had since increased drastically. 

Voting

None.