Issue - meetings

The Council has the discretion to award rate relief to charities or non-profit making bodies. It also has the discretion to remit an individual National Non-Domestic Rate (NNDR) liability in whole or in part on the grounds of hardship.  The award of relief is based on policy and criteria last agreed by the Executive in 2008.  As this was more than 5 years ago a review should be undertaken to ensure the criteria remain appropriate and relevant. Officers have reviewed the current policy and criteria and are proposing that no amendments are made. From 1 April 2013 there have been changes to the financing of the cost of awarding relief and the respective proportions met by the council, the government and the GLA.  These changes are part of the broader changes concerning NNDR arising from the new Business Rate retention scheme.  The report also includes new applications for relief received since February 2013.

(i)         that the policy and criteria for determining entitlement to discretionary rate relief in respect of National Non-Domestic Rates as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Growth be agreed and to be effective from 1 April 2014 and that this be reviewed every three years;

(ii)        that the changes to the financing of discretionary rate relief as detailed in paragraph 3.8 and 3.9 of the Director’s report be noted;

(iii)       that the applications for discretionary rate relief detailed in Appendix 3 of the Director’s report be agreed.

The Council has the discretion to award rate relief to charities or non-profit making bodies. It also has the discretion to remit an individual National Non-Domestic Rate (NNDR) liability in whole or in part on the grounds of hardship. The award of relief was based on policy and criteria last agreed by the Executive in 2008.  Councillor Denselow, in introducing the report, advised that officers had reviewed the current policy and criteria and it was proposed that no amendments be made. It was noted that from 1 April 2013 there have been changes to the financing of the cost of awarding relief and the respective proportions met by the council, the government and the GLA.  These changes were part of the broader changes concerning NNDR arising from the new Business Rate retention scheme.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that the policy and criteria for determining entitlement to discretionary rate relief in respect of National Non-Domestic Rates as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Growth be agreed and to be effective from 1 April 2014 and that this be reviewed every three years;

(ii)        that the changes to the financing of discretionary rate relief as detailed in paragraph 3.8 and 3.9 of the Director’s report be noted;

(iii)       that the applications for discretionary rate relief detailed in Appendix 3 of the Director’s report be agreed.