The Department for Communities and Local Government has pledged that new rules governing business rate appeals will weed out speculative applications ahead of localisation to town halls.
Locals councils have a “historic opportunity” to shape their financial futures by contributing to a funding review as part of business rates localisation, the communities secretary Greg Clark said...
George Osborne’s plan to devolve business rates revenue to local authorities may fail because it does not provide enough incentive to poorer areas, an analysis has found.
Ministers have been warned that it will be “difficult” to create a council finance system to both incentivise growth and protect authorities with high levels of need once business rates...
Labour has called for greater clarity on the impact of business rates localisation on council funding to allay fears about “back door cuts” under the plan.
Councils need additional fiscal freedoms following devolution of business rates in order to mitigate the risk of making local services dependent on such a volatile source of income, a report has...
Local authority treasurer societies can pack a punch, says Duncan Whitfield, Southwark Council’s finance director, given the resilience and resourcefulness of the profession
The government has called on local authorities to submit proposals for service responsibilities to be devolved to councils as part of business rates localisation from 2020.
Local government select committee chair Clive Betts has called on Greg Clark to confirm that four-year funding deals offered to local authorities will not be affected by business rate exemptions...
An independent commission has concluded that reform to council funding in Wales, including authorities raising a far greater share of their income from local taxes, would deliver “significant...
There needs to be clarity on how reforms to take small firms out of business rates will affect councils. There is a risk the link between economic growth and increased local revenues will be broken.
George Osborne’s Budget set a good direction on devolution and prevention through the sugar tax, but there are too many surprises and uncertainties for top marks.
Small businesses are to be exempt from business rates from next April in a move that will reduce the revenue raised – which is 50% retained by councils – by £6.7bn over the next...
London’s deputy mayor for policy and planning has called on ministers to “move as quickly as possible” on the localisation of business rates to local government, which he said would...
Government proposals to fully devolve business rates risk creating a “widening chasm” between local service demands and council revenues to pay for them, a senior council leader has...
Full local retention of business rates will not provide sufficient funds to allow councils to maintain early intervention services at current levels, a poll of councillors has found.
Carolyn Williamson made savings by bringing in new ways to work rather than cutting back at Hampshire County Council. A focus on shared services, working with the police, fire and other organisations...
Business rates revenue is forecast to reach a record £23.5bn in 2016/17, according to council submissions to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The “outdated” business rates should be overhauled with uprating moved in line with the Consumers Prices Index measure of inflation and more frequent valuations, the CBI has said.
Haringey Council leader Claire Kober sits at the sharp end of government plans to reinvent local authority finance, where a willingness to take on more risk is becoming a necessity
There will be a full re-examination of levels of need in council areas as part of full devolution of business rates to authorities, a senior Department for Communities and Local Government figure has...
The business rates system is hindering development and reforming it could boost the economy by £1.75bn and create almost 4,000 jobs over the next five years, the British Property Federation has...