Issue - meetings

To adopt the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission’s Working Group which reviewed Business Rates and discretionary relief.

The Commission received a report presenting the review of Business Rates and discretionary relief undertaken by a working group of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Angell for his hard work as the Lead Member of the working group. Councillor Angell asked for the names of the councillors involved in the working group to be added to the Foreword of the report. Excellent work had been identified and there was a 98% collection rate on business rates. The recommendations from the working group would be considered by the Executive if adopted. The aim was to support small business efforts in the borough of 25 people or less. One recommendation would be for a cap amount of funding to be available for small businesses.

The scheme would be reviewed annually for a three year period, small businesses were independent and the take up of the scheme was unknown. Croydon had been given £1 million by the Government but there had been little take up in the area, so media was used to promote the scheme. The scheme in Bracknell would be available across the borough and not just in the town centre. A number of people had been spoken to regarding the scheme.

Councillor Angell requested that recommendation 5.11 of the report on pages 69 and 91 of the agenda be amended to:

‘The draft discretionary Business Rates relief scheme at Appendix 2, along with further considerations and details at Appendix 3, are put forward for consideration and implementation by the Executive during 2015-16.’

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

• The report made reference to avoidance schemes. Avoidance was a national issue but the collection rate in Bracknell was 98% which was considered to be good. Representations had been, and continued to be, made regarding avoidance. MPs were being lobbied regarding this and lobbying was undertaken through the LGA. The scale of avoidance was considered and amounted to approximately £1-2 million per year. The government had recently issued a consultation paper on business rate avoidance. Opportunities to liaise with other local authorities to deal with larger firms would be considered.

The Chairman commented on the importance of marketing the scheme and making it part of a package of benefits for small businesses, not promoting it in isolation, but integrated.

The Overview and Scrutiny Commission:

• Adopted the attached report of the review of Business Rates and discretionary relief undertaken by a working group of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, for sending formally to the Leader of the Council.

• Stood down the working group.