Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the government announcement set out in the 2017 Autumn Budget to extend the pub business rate relief scheme for a further year.

The report noted that on 5 September 2017 the Cabinet had agreed to adopt the scheme for pub relief for the 2017/2018 financial year and delegated the detailed application of that scheme to the Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business Management (decision no. 101/2017 refers). The Pub Rate Relief Policy was set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

The report stated that the expectation was that the Council would use their discretionary relief powers under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to award the relief for the 2018/2019 financial year. The report noted that there were 73 pubs that qualified for the relief which amounted to an estimated £73,000. It was added that the Government would fully compensate the Council for the cost of granting the relief through section 31 funding.

Reasons:

Pubs play an important role in urban and rural communities across the country.  The £1,000 discount in business rate bills in 2017/18 was welcomed by pubs in meeting their business rates liability, particularly where there have been large increases due to the revaluation in 2017.

The award of relief for a second year will continue to provide financial support to local pubs at no cost to the Council.