Issue - meetings

Business Rates Relief – Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief – 2020/21

Meeting: 24/06/2020 - Executive Committee (Item 11)

11 Business Rates Relief – Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief – 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 547 KB

To consider the report of the Chief Officer Resources.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Executive Member Environment declared an interest in this item and, having taken legal advice from the Monitoring Officer, remained in the meeting but took no part in the decision in respect of item 11.

 

Consideration was given to report of the Chief Officer Resources.

 

At the invitation of the Leader the Chief Officer Resources presented the report for the Executive to consider and adopt, on behalf of the Council, the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief – 2020/21 scheme(RLHRR), as a section 47 discretionary rate relief for

2020/21.

 

The Chief Officer Resources referred to Appendix 1 that provided the criteria and guidance for the operation and delivery of the scheme.

 

She concluded that Welsh Government had yet to confirm the actual funding allocation for Blaenau Gwent, but had provided an estimate of £3.5m for delivery of the scheme.  It was anticipated that 300 businesses may benefit from the scheme if adopted and that in order that assistance may be given to rate payers the Council must resolve to adopt the scheme at a discretionary rate relief scheme in line with s47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

 

The Leader noted that this scheme would be a welcome relief to a number of organisations.

 

The Deputy Leader / Executive Member Regeneration and Economic Development commented this topic was an area that retail businesses in Blaenau Gwent had campaigned for many years and hoped that the rates relief would continue moving forward.

 

RESOLVED that the report be accepted and the Executive adopted the Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief – 2020/21 scheme on behalf of the Council, to supplement the Council’s discretionary rate relief scheme. (Option 2)