Cabinet - Tuesday, 19th September, 2017 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 22nd August, 2017 (copy attached).

The Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 22nd August, 2017 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman.

To consider Report No. FIN1728 (copy attached), which sets out a proposed new policy to reduce business rates liabilities to those worst affected by the 2017 revaluation.

The Cabinet considered Report No. FIN1728, which set out a proposed new Discretionary Rate Relief Policy, which was intended to support those Ratepayers who had been worst affected by the 2017 Business Rate revaluation exercise.

Members were informed that this new policy would complement those adopted previously and would enable the Council to use its discretionary powers, with effect from 1st April, 2017, to award relief to those small and medium sized businesses that were facing the largest increases following the national revaluation, which had come into force earlier in 2017. The draft policy was set out in Appendix 1 to the Report. In response to a question, it was confirmed that recipients would need to reapply for the relief each year.

The Cabinet RESOLVED that

(i)           the adoption of the new policy, to be known as the Business Rates Discretionary Rate Relief (Revaluation), as set out in Report No. FIN1728, be approved; and

(ii)          the Head of Financial Services be authorised to apply the reliefs.