Other Reliefs

From 01/04/2020, mandatory relief of 100% will be given to hereditaments consisting wholly or mainly of public lavatories. 

If you think your business should receive this relief, please contact us.

Relief can be awarded where:-

•  The property is wholly or mainly used as office premises for journalists and reporters
• The ratepayer is a local newspaper

The total amount of relief available for each property under this scheme is £1,500.

Local Newspaper Relief is awarded after taking in to consideration other relief’s, excluding relief awarded under the existing Discretionary Rate Relief Policy and is no more than the net rate liability if this is less than £1,500.

Ratepayers that occupy more than one property were entitled to local newspaper relief on only one of their eligible properties. Relief is limited to a maximum of one discount per newspaper title and per hereditament.

In a Written Ministerial Statement on 27 January 2020, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury announced the scheme will apply until 31 March 2025.

If you think your business should receive this relief, please contact us.

From 01/04/23, relief of 100% is available for assessments used for the purposes of heat networks.

In order to be eligible for Heat Network Relief the hereditament must be:

 1. wholly or mainly used for the purposes of a heat network, and

 2. the heat is over the next 12 months expected to be generated from a low carbon source (irrespective of whether that source is located on the hereditament or on a different hereditament).

The Heat Network relief is subject to the UK’s domestic and international subsidy control obligations.

Full details can be found at Business rates heat network relief: local authority guidance 2023-24 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you think your business should receive this relief, please contact us.

If part of your property is temporarily vacant you may be able to claim a reduction on the vacant part. Wherever possible, you should request the Valuation Officer to separately assess the vacant premises so that you may claim empty rate relief on it. 

In order to be considered for relief the period of partial occupation should only be going to occur for a short period of time. 

If this relief is granted then the Council apply to the Valuation Office for an apportionment of the RV into the occupied and unoccupied parts. The Valuation Office issues a certificate confirming the two new RVs.

The Valuation List is not amended in any way and the original RV remains to be shown.

This relief is discretionary and each case is determined on it's own merits.

If you want to apply for relief due to part occupation please contact us.

In exceptional circumstances, the Council can remit any business rate liability, either in full or part, on a property, whether occupied or unoccupied, by awarding Hardship Relief. 

 Applications for Hardship relief can only be considered providing the Council is satisfied that;

 1. the ratepayer would sustain hardship if the Authority did not award any relief and

 2. it would be reasonable for the Council to award relief having regard to the interests of Council Tax payers in the authority. This does not have to be purely financial interests- the employment implications must be a consideration if the company were go into liquidation as a result of outstanding debts, as are the reductions in amenities for local residents (ie- the closure of the only village shop etc)

Applications for hardship relief must include the last two years accounts for the business.

If you want to apply for hardship relief please contact us.