The September 2015 Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure has been announced today and shows a 0.8% increase over the previous year. This sets the upper limit by which next year's Uniform Business Rate (UBR) can increase in England and Wales. ...Read More

George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, promised a number of changes to the business rates system in his speech to the Conservative party conference. What are his proposals and what should we make of them? ...Read More

The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has determined that a shop forming part of a redevelopment site should be assessed at nil value because a reasonable landlord would consider that the works required to put the property into repair were not economic. This decision follows the reasoning of the Court of Appeal in the recent case of Newbigin (VO) v SJ & J Monk but, faced with very different facts in this case, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) comes to a different conclusion and confirms a nil rateable value. ...Read More

The Enterprise Bill 2015 has been introduced into Parliament and contains powers for important changes to the business rates appeals system. The Bill also, as we reported in our news item on the Queen's Speech, contains new powers for the Valuation Office Agency to share information with local government regarding business rates assessments. These are important changes but appear to do little to help ratepayers or to assist "Enterprise"... ...Read More

The Government has published a consultation document in respect of the forthcoming 2017 Rating Revaluation. The consultation seeks views on whether the rate used to value large properties for which there is no general market, such as oil refineries, should continue to be a prescribed rate, as it presently is, and if so what rate should be set. This rather technical consultation may sound like a paradise for rating nerds but it is a matter that could be of interest to all ratepayers. ...Read More