This report seeks consideration of a new scheme criteria for a new discretionary rate relief and an updated and consolidated policy for the determination of the allocation of all Discretionary Non Domestic Rate Relief to organisations in the district under Section 47 Local Government Finance Act 1988.

In accepting the recommendations, Cabinet will approve and recommend to Council that the new Discretionary Non Domestic Rate Relief  Scheme at Annex A of the report be adopted; the other new reliefs detailed at paragraph 3.1 of the report be noted; the Director of Finance (S151 Officer) be given delegated authority as detailed at paragraph 2.3 of the report; the new consolidated Discretionary Non Domestic Rates Relief policy attached at Annexe B of the report be adopted and the current delegated powers to award and review Discretionary rate relief  are extended to the new discretionary rate relief scheme.

The subject of the decision:

This report sought consideration of a new scheme criteria for a new discretionary rate relief, in relation to the Government announcement in the March 2017 budget, for those businesses facing the steepest rate increases following the Valuation Office Agency’s 2017 revaluation of business rate assessments (attached at Annex A of the report) and an updated and consolidated policy for the determination of the allocation of all Discretionary Non-Domestic Rate Relief to organisations in the District under Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (attached at Annex B of the report).  This also included the other schemes that were announced in the Government’s March 2017 budget.

Alternative options considered:

None.

The reason for the decision:

To take account of the Government’s announcement in the March 2017 budget and Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

THE DECISION:

That Cabinet approves and recommends to Council that:-

(1)     the new Discretionary Non-Domestic Rate Relief Scheme attached at Annex A of the report and outlined in the report, to support the announcement in the March 2017 budget be adopted;

(2)     the other new reliefs as detailed at paragraph 3.1 of the report be noted;

(3)     the Director of Finance (S151 Officer) be given delegated authority as detailed within paragraph 2.3 of the report;

(4)     the new consolidated Discretionary Non-Domestic Rates Relief Policy attached at Annex B of the report be adopted; and

(5)     the current delegated powers to award and review Discretionary Rate Relief be extended to the new Discretionary Rate Relief Scheme.