Agenda item

The Government had announced that it would provide a Business Rates Retail Discount to apply, in 2020/21, to occupied retail properties with a rateable value of less than £51,000.   The value of the Retail Discount would be 50% of the 2020/21 rates bill.  In the same Ministerial Statement the Financial Secretary to the Treasury had announced a £1,000 business rate discount for public houses with a rateable value of less than £100,000 in 2020/21.

The schemes were aimed at helping retail premises in town (and village) centres and recognising, in a small way, the important role that pubs played in urban and rural communities.

Rather than introducing the new discounts nationally in 2020/21, the Government had decided that each Council should set its own local relief schemes under the powers of section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (as amended).  Whilst the Council was free to set any criteria for reliefs it wished, the Government had made it clear it would only reimburse Councils for the cost of these reliefs if the schemes met set criteria. These criteria were reflected in the schemes proposed in Annexes A and B.

RESOLVED that

(i)      the Local Discretionary Business Rates Retail Discount scheme, as set out in Annex A to the agenda report, be approved from 1 April 2020;

(ii)     the Local Discretionary Business Rates Pub Discount scheme, as set out in Annex B to the agenda report, be approved from 1 April 2020; and

(iii)    the Executive Head of Finance in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance be authorised to make changes to the schemes to ensure that the costs remain fully funded by Government and do not fall on the Council.