Issue details

To consider changes to the Council’s Business Rate Discretionary Relief Policy.

The Government has introduced a number of measures to assist businesses with the cost of Business Rates.

The measures are designed as a temporary incentive to be delivered via the Council’s discretionary relief powers, under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

The Council already has an established policy for granting discretionary rate relief, but the changes requested by Government, will fall outside this policy.  This report seeks to vary the local policy in order to incorporate the proposed changes.

The Government will fully reimburse local authorities for the local share of the discretionary relief granted, using a grant under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.