Transcript Slide 1

Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates
An Opportunity or a
Foregone Conclusion?
Society of Local Councils Clerks
Larger Councils Network Meeting,
Swanley – 15th September 2011
Inform and Coordinate
Info 4 Local
SLCC
External Affairs Officer, Sam Shippen PILCM
[email protected]
01323 894870
Branch Meetings
NALC
Head of Policy & Development, Justin Griggs
[email protected] 020 7290 0317
Policy & Development Manager (Larger Councils), Chris Borg
[email protected] 020 7290 0741
County Associations
Local Associations Information Services (LAIS)
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
Info 4 Local
Consultations ending soon
Transforming Regulatory Enforcement: Discussion paper
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Deadline: 15 September 2011
Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) Reform Consultation
Department for Transport Deadline: 15 September 2011
The Future of the Local Better Regulation Office and the Extension of the Primary
Authority Scheme
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Deadline: 15 September 2011
Consultation on the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal Plans
Department for Transport Deadline: 15 September 2011
Work Capability Assessment: Year two call for evidence
Department for Work and Pensions Deadline: 16 September 2011
Integrating the Operation of Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions: A call
for evidence
HM Treasury Deadline: 19 September 2011
 http://www.info4local.gov.uk/ http://youtu.be/spuVrU-LbHQ
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
SLCC
External Affairs.
Members section of the web site.
Example – Data Transparency.
Mrs Sam J Shippen FCIS, Principal ILCM
SLCC External Affairs Officer
c/o Seaford Town Council
37 Church Street
Seaford
East Sussex
BN25 1HG
Tel: 01323 894870
[email protected]
Mr S Macleod
The Department for Communities and Local Government
Zone 3/J4
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
13 March 2011
Dear Mr Macleod
Code of recommended practice for local authorities on data transparency consultation
I am the External Affairs Officer of the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) which is the professional body for
officers working for Town, Parish, Community and Neighbourhood Councils in England and Wales. The SLCC
represents clerks and other officers in over 4,200 councils, I write on behalf of those members.
The SLCC agrees with the principle of democratic accountability and the rights of the community to seek and
receive information from their council. Town and parish (local councils) are at a level closest to communities, most
often based on a single villages and towns.
Suggesting a code that will apply to the largest county council and to the smallest parish meeting is an ambitious
one. Capability and capacity are issues that concern our organisation particularly as many local councils are small
and employ only a part time clerk. The scope of technology available in the smallest councils, some of whom have
no current access to broadband, may prove a limiting factor. Around 2,000 of the 9,000 local councils in England
have a budget of less than £2000 and although the requirement for publication of spend over £500 is unlikely to
apply this code goes beyond that requirement and introduces a requirement to publish as a minimum other
information regarding the democratic running of the council. We would request that consideration be given to
exemption for the smallest of councils perhaps those with expenditure less than £50,000, but consideration
particularly to parish meetings who may have no staff at all.
Whilst previous governments have given financial support to IT capacity and capability within principal local
authorities, investment has not extended to local councils. Those who have IT capacity have made their own
investment, whilst in many small local councils IT equipment competes with the provision of play equipment or
other resources of direct benefit to the local tax payer. The lack of investment in some councils may make these
proposed regulations impossible to comply with.
The suggestion of a data inventory seems to expand upon the requirement to have a Publication Scheme. The
publication schemes currently required to be approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 allows a local council to make available information in hard copy only, whilst we
recognise that information provided electronically has a greater value for re-use, perhaps in consideration of any
exemption, hard copy only might be allowed.
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
NALC
P31-11 Natural White Paper Response Sept-2011
P25-11 Land and Society Commission Report Jul-2011
P24-11 Relaxation of Planning Rules Jul-2011
P23-11 Planning for Traveller Sites Jul-2011
P19-11 Future of Public Audit Consultation Response by Peter Lacey Jul-2011
P18-11 Waterways Response Jun-2011
P17-11 CLG Select Committee Report on Localism Response Jun-2011
P12-11 Community Right to Challenge Consultation Response May-2011
P11-11 Community Right to Buy Consultation Response May-2011
P10-11 Review of Statutory Duties Consultation Response May-2011
P06-11 Data Transparency Consultation Response Mar-2011
P23-10 New Homes Bonus Consultation Response Dec-2010
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
LAIS
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
DCLG Ministers
Secretary of State
Eric Pickles
Decentralisation &
Planning Minister
Greg Clark
Housing Minister
Grant Shapps
www.communities.gov.uk
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
New Homes Bonus - DCLG
Housing Minister Grant Shapps today pledged cash for communities who
allow new homes to be built in their area. Almost £1bn Government funding
has been set aside for councils that welcome new housing development,
which they will be able to spend to benefit their local community.
The Minister announced that the Government will match the council tax
raised from new homes for the first six years through the New Homes
Bonus. Councils and communities will work together to decide how to
spend the extra funding - whether council tax discounts for local residents,
boosting frontline services like rubbish collection or providing local facilities
like swimming pools and leisure centres.
Mr Shapps said "We are ending the system where the Government can tell
communities what and where to build. That's why we've set aside almost
£1bn so councils who build more homes start benefiting immediately from
the extra cash, which they can spend on improving the local area.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbYsqBqtZUk&feature=player_embedded
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
Grant Shapps MP: Welwyn- Hatfield
In January he told Welwyn Hatfield Times; “The town council is pointless,
and I think the time has come for a campaign to back either its abolition, or
its costs being dramatically slashed.”
Mr Shapps said there was a “large crossover” with services and facilities run
by both the borough and county councils, which could easily be
incorporated
In March he backtracked, after many comments that he was actually
opposing his party’s own stated policy and he said that he was calling for a
review of the town council’s structure and financing rather than its abolition
– ‘although that scenario may indeed be the outcome of any review.’ The
‘Fairer Deal for Hatfield’ Website is no longer being promoted by him – but
it is still live – perhaps Eric Pickles sat on him (ouch).
http://andrewlainton.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/grant-shapps-opposes-localism-calls-own-town-council-pointless/
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
NALC - New Homes Bonus Response
Question 5: Do you agree with the proposal to reward local authorities for
bringing empty properties back into use through the New Homes Bonus? Are
there any practical constraints? If not, what would the appropriate split be,
and why?
No, we do not agree with the split.
It should be; in parished areas with District and County tiers:
Parish – 5%;
District – 75%
County – 20%.
In parished areas with Unitary Authorities and in London:
Parish – 7%
Unitary – 93%.
This would help local councils deliver the Big Society agenda and the
neighbourhood planning elements of the Localism Bill.
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
Business Rates
Local Government Resource Review: Proposals for Business
Rates Retention.
Before the introduction of the poll tax, business rates were set locally by
councils and included a proportion retained by the local council. Since April
1990, they have been set by and passed on to central government, and are
known as National Non Domestic Rates NNDR. The proposal is to allow local
authorities to retain the NNDR and to reduce the grants to local authorities
from central government.
Where:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localgovernmentfinance
/lgresourcereview/
How to respond: [email protected]
When: Consultation ends 24th October 2011
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/pdfs/pub_26_-_full_publication.pdf
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1990/mar/27/poll-tax-northumberland
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
LAIS – Business Rates
Local Government Resource Review: Proposals for Business
Rates Retention
A consultation on the potential change to council tax arrangements to
enable principal local authorities to retain business rates.
This is being described as a means to help them to improve their services
locally and create greater buy-in to locally-driven economic and business
vibrancy.
What it does not do is provide local councils with any element of the
business rates, despite the fact that those councils often deal with the
impact of business on the community and are crucial to the attractiveness
of an area to visitors that businesses rely on etc.
The document makes one reference to ‘parishes’ noting that they are
covered by the New Burdens Doctrine (see LAIS1323) which requires central
Government in some circumstances to assess and properly fund any new
burdens on local government which would have otherwise resulted in an
increase in council tax.
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
Business Rates - Questions
Should Parish and Town Councils receive a share of the NNDR?
What responsibilities/conditions could be imposed?
Should Parish and Town Council properties be exempt from NNDR?
How can parish and town councils support the local economy?
How should Town and Parish Councils respond to the consultation?
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates – An opportunity or a Foregone Conclusion?
Responding to Government Consultations
Business Rates
An Opportunity or a
Foregone Conclusion?
Yes, it probably is a foregone conclusion, but
that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use this as
another opportunity to tell government about
the value of local councils.