Issue - meetings

Report of Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

RESOLVED THAT: 

1.    the amended Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy in Appendix 3 is approved, to include the temporary reliefs referred to in this report from April 2026

2.    the Head of Revenues and Benefits is authorised in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets to implement any changes to the temporary relief schemes detailed in appendix 3, as required by Government guidance, or to ensure the successful operation of the schemes.

3.    due to the volume of cases, award decisions on temporary reliefs detailed in appendix 3 are delegated to the Head of Revenues and Benefits and officers in the Business Rates team. In the case of a dispute reconsideration is to be made by the Section 151 Officer.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets introduced his report, which recommends that CBC’s Discretionary Business Rates Relief policy is updated to include three new government-funded temporary reliefs from April.  He said that so far, 700 small businesses will benefit from the Supporting Small Businesses Relief, 71 pubs and venues across the town will benefit from a one-year reduction in their rates, and there will be a new relief for scheme for Electric Vehicle Charging Points and EV-only Forecourts.

He put on record his thanks to the Revenues and Benefits team for all their hard work behind the scenes to support the town’s businesses.

In response to a Member’s question, he said some businesses know their entitlement and approach the council, and officers work hard and do their best to make sure others know if they are eligible to apply. This issue has had a lot of national publicity, but he will check with the team as to whether additional communications and work with the Chamber of Commerce and BID are needed to ensure the whole of the business sector in Cheltenham is aware.  

Members made the following comments:

-       other than exorbitant rents, business rates are the most damaging thing for small businesses trying to survive in the current economic climate.  This relief is welcome, but the government hasn’t gone far enough and could do more.  We need to help our pubs survive, and to consider anomalies such as the exemption from empty business rates for listed buildings – this discourages landlords from investing for new business to take on their properties, which is terrible for the High Street.  It would be helpful if local councils could set rates locally, adjusting them based on particular streets or the types of business needed in an area, to support a thriving economy;

-       these are narrow and very specific slices of relief, and there are many other businesses and organisations which would benefit from similar help – including not-for-profit businesses such as community centres;

-       it is frustrating that the council cannot do more to help businesses, but a huge relief that BID is playing its part by raising the threshold of the cap on small businesses to a much higher amount, allowing a significant number to be exempt from contributing to the Business Improvement District;

-       the government has gone so far but not all the way, which impacts on many organisations in a negative way.  One example is the blanket idea that all football clubs have a bar and are therefore liable for commercial business rates; many do not, resulting in a lot of pressure on voluntary groups having to fight a half-baked piece of government legislation.  

RESOLVED THAT: 

1.    the amended Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy in Appendix 3 is approved, to include the temporary reliefs referred to in this report from April 2026

2.    the Head of Revenues and Benefits is authorised in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets to implement any changes to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8