Issue - meetings

Report of the Interim Executive Director – Finance and Governance

Purpose of report

To provide members of Budget Planning Committee with details of the proposed Local Discretionary Relief Scheme before consideration by Executive.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1      To note the contents of the report.

1.2   To recommend to Executive the adoption of the Local Discretionary Business Rates Relief Scheme for 2019-20

Resolved

(1)  That the contents of the report be noted.

(2)  That Executive be recommended to adopt the Local Discretionary Business Rates Relief Scheme for 2019-20.  

The Committee considered a report from the Interim Executive Director – Finance and Governance, which provided Members with details of the proposed Local Discretionary Business Rate Relief Scheme for 2019-20.

The Operations Director – CSN Resources advised the Committee that central Government expected local authorities to use discretionary powers in order to deliver the relief scheme; however there had been very little take up of the funding that had been made available. It was therefore proposed to apply the relief automatically to those businesses that qualified for it.

In response to questions from the Committee, the Operations Director – CSN Resources advised that assistance to parties impacted by the 2017 Revaluation was limited by the funding provided, and that this was forecast to decrease to £21k by 2020-21.

Resolved

(1)  That the contents of the report be noted.

(2)  That Executive be recommended to adopt the Local Discretionary Business Rates Relief Scheme for 2019-20.