Local AM welcomes improvements to the Rate Relief Scheme (Kirsty Williams AM )

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Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Local AM welcomes improvements to the Rate Relief Scheme

June 13, 2007 2:28 PM

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams, has welcomed the announcement that self-catering businesses will be eligible for small business rate relief.

They had initially been excluded from the scheme, causing major financial problems for many tourism businesses in the constituency.

Ms Williams said: "When the rate relief scheme was brought in earlier this year, I was inundated with letters, phone calls and emails from concerned business owners who just didn't know how they were going to meet their business rate payments. I welcome this announcement, and would urge the Government to bring forward an amendment to the legislation as soon as possible, so that Council's can return any payments already made by the affected businesses.

"There are still concerns around the scheme, however, and I have called on the Minister to look at the case of some of the community councils, for example, who for the first time are finding themselves liable to pay rates on village halls, and sporting facilities such as Pen-y-bont trotting racetrack, which is being charged a huge amount of money for its stand. I have asked the Minister to look at how local authorities could use hardship relief to help such affected groups, and hope he will respond positively to my suggestions."

Notes:

Earlier this year, the long-standing rural rate relief scheme was replaced with a Wales-wide small business rate relief scheme. This has led to benefits for some small businesses (for example, those in Llandrindod Wells which, because of the definitions of population, were not eligible before) but also meant that slightly larger businesses in rural areas are having to pay rates for the first time.

In the initial Order, self-catering accommodation was not classed as a small business, and so owners were having to pay rates. Yesterday, the Minister for Public Delivery announced that this exemption was to be removed; Ms Williams questioned him on the changes during a Plenary debate. The transcript of this, and all other Assembly business, can be found at www.wales.gov.uk.