Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – CUSTOMERS

To approve the Draft NNDR 1 Return for 2024/25.

RESOLVED:

(1)   That the Draft NNDR 1 was approved.

(2)   That it was noted that a 2nd draft version of the NNDR was sent to Councils by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) on Monday 8th January 2024. The final version of the NNDR 1 would need to be returned to DLUHC by Wednesday 31st January 2024.

(3)   That the Committee delegated any amendments to the return resulting from changes to the form and any additional guidance, to the Service Director – Customers in consultation with the Service Director – Resources and the Committee Chair.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To comply with statutory requirements.

Audio recording – 7 minutes 32 seconds

The Service Director – Customers, presented the report entitled ‘National Non-Domestic Rate Return 1 (NNDR1) 2024/25’, and advised that:

·       This was an annual statutory return which was required to be returned by 31 January each year.

·       The form traditionally followed the government Autumn Statement and incorporated any changes made to Business Rates.

·       Each year this form was sent to the Council with a tight turnaround from the date the form was received to the date it had to be returned.

·       This year the form was received on 8 January and the NNDR1 had been circulated earlier today to Members.

·       Due to the tight turnaround recommendation 2.3 delegated authority to enable Officers to be able to make changes to the return and to seek additional guidance if required.

The Systems and Technical Manager advised:

·       From 1 April 2024 authorities were required to detail gross rates payable for 2024/25 split between the Small Business Rate (SBR) multiplier and the National Non-Domestic Rate (NNDR) multiplier.

·       The SBR multiplier had been frozen in the autumn budget statement and it now included every property under £51,000 regardless of any previous legislation.

·       The NNDR multiplier had been increased for 2024/25 year from 51.42 to 54.7 to compensate for the lack of the SBR multiplier being raised.

·       The Council was now in the second year of a three-year transitional scheme.

·       The draft NNDR1 was an estimate of the expected income the Council would expect to receive through Business Rate collections in 2024/25.

Councillor Ian Albert proposed and Councillor Elizabeth Dennis seconded, following at vote, it was:

RESOLVED:

(1)   That the Draft NNDR 1 was approved.

(2)   That it was noted that a 2nd draft version of the NNDR was sent to Councils by the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) on Monday 8th January 2024. The final version of the NNDR 1 would need to be returned to DLUHC by Wednesday 31st January 2024.

(3)   That the Committee delegated any amendments to the return resulting from changes to the form and any additional guidance, to the Service Director – Customers in consultation with the Service Director – Resources and the Committee Chair.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To comply with statutory requirements.