(Report of Director of Finance and Transformation)
Consideration was given to suggested responses to questions posed in the Government’s consultation paper on the administration of business rates in England.
Following consideration by the Finance, Innovation and Property Advisory Board, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Innovation and Property resolved that:
The Director of Finance and Transformation be authorised to respond to the questions in the consultation paper on the basis outlined in the report subject to:
1) rewording of the answers where no response is proposed to “we have no comment”;
2) amendment of the response to question 5 to suggest that the Government may wish to consider the valuation of public houses in the light of the number of closures occurring; and
3) strengthening of the response to question 12 to reflect the challenges faced by businesses in understanding the complexities of the business rates system and inclusion of a preamble to the effect that the consultation does not address business concerns about the lack of correlation between business rates and the services received from the local authority.