Agenda item

The government announced in the 2017 March statement that it would make funding available to councils for 4 years from 2017/18 to enable them to introduce their own discretionary discount scheme. Cabinet agreed the discount scheme for revaluation support for 2017/18 at its meeting on 24 July 2017, however the amount of relief awarded to date is short of the allocation from central government for 2017/18 and any shortfalls in spending cannot be used in subsequent years. This report therefore seeks amendment of the 2017/18 scheme in order to ensure full take up of the allocation for 2017/18.  It also seeks approval of the proposed scheme for 2018/19 as detailed in this report and in Appendix 1.

It was RESOLVED:

               9.1       That the discretionary discount scheme (Revaluation Support) for 2017/18 be amended as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report and therefore be approved pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988;

               9.2       That the discretionary discount scheme (Revaluation Support) for 2018/19 as detailed in Appendix 1 of this report be approved pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act1988. It was noted that a further report would be presented to Cabinet in 2019 which detailed the proposed scheme for 2019/20 and 2020/21; 

               9.3       That the 2 schemes - Support for Pubs and Supporting Small Businesses- and as detailed in sections 3.16 and 3.17 of the report be approved for 2018/19 pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988; and

               9.4       That the Chief Finance Officer be authorised to implement the three schemes as detailed in Appendix 1 and sections 3.0 of the report so that the agreed discretionary discounts for business rates can be awarded in compliance with the scheme criteria.

Councillor McLennan (Deputy Leader of the Council) introduced the report and outlined that a revaluation of the rateable value of all non-domestic properties had taken place in 2017, which had seen an increase in bills for some business rates payers within the borough. She explained that the government had announced a transitional relief scheme which had been put in place so that the rate changes were phased in over five years and that the report detailed the funding level available for 2018-2019 (£532,000). She noted that the funding made available for the coming year was 50 percent less than 2017-2018 and that full details were contained within the report. She also drew Members’ attention to additional proposed support to pubs and small businesses after the government had announced specific relief schemes for these areas.

Cabinet Members Tatler and Butt raised points in support of the proposals.

It was RESOLVED:

               10.1    That the discretionary discount scheme (Revaluation Support) for 2017/18 be amended as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report and therefore be approved pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988;

               10.2    That the discretionary discount scheme (Revaluation Support) for 2018/19 as detailed in Appendix 1 of this report be approved pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. It was noted that a further report would be presented to Cabinet in 2019 which detailed the proposed scheme for 2019/20 and 2020/21; 

               10.3    That the 2 schemes - Support for Pubs and Supporting Small Businesses- and as detailed in sections 3.16 and 3.17 of the report be approved for 2018/19 pursuant to the Council’s powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988; and

               10.4    That the Chief Finance Officer be authorised to implement the three schemes as detailed in Appendix 1 and sections 3.0 of the report so that the agreed discretionary discounts for business rates can be awarded in compliance with the scheme criteria.