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9 Dec 2009 : Column 399W—continued
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one of them reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government over the five years of the 2010 list because, although initially we will collect 1.5 per cent. more in 2010-11, this will be reduced in later years by appeals. Once all these appeals have been settled we expect the amount collected in 2010-11 to be less then that in 2009-10.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change in the (a) small business and (b) national non-domestic multiplier will be between 2009-10 and 2010-11; what proportion of this change is attributable to (i) changes in rateable value arising from the 2010 revaluation and (ii) the level of retail price index inflation in September 2009; and whether the percentage change in collectable rates and the relevant multipliers will match. [304891]
Barbara Follett: The small business multiplier is 48.1p for 2009-10 and the provisional small business multiplier for 2010-11 is 40.7p. The percentage change between the two figures is -15.4 per cent.
An estimate of the small business multiplier based on zero inflation (i.e. considering only the effect of revaluation) was published in the 'transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England' consultation document. A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
The national non-domestic multiplier is determined by adding a supplement to the small business multiplier to fund the estimated cost of the small business rate relief scheme. In 2009-10 this supplement was 0.4p, bringing the national non-domestic multiplier to 48.5p. For 2010-11, the supplement is estimated at 0.7p, bringing the provisional national non-domestic multiplier to 41.4p. The percentage change between the two is -14.6 per cent.
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments were in receipt of empty property relief in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figure in 2009-10. [304883]
Barbara Follett: Local authorities reported to Communities and Local Government that there were 186,400 hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief on 31 December 2007. On the same date in 2008 the number was 147,900.
These figures were not collected for 2006-07 and no estimate has been made for 2009-10.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the monetary value of empty property relief was in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; what estimate he has made of the equivalent figure in 2009-10; and what the actual figure is in 2009-10 to date. [304884]
Barbara Follett: The amount of empty property relief granted in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 and the amount forecast to be granted in 2009-10 are as follows:
| Empty property relief | |
| £ million | |
In 2008-09, the rules governing empty and partly occupied property relief were reformed by the Rating (Empty Properties) Act 2007 and further reforms were introduced for 2009-10.
Data are as reported to Communities and Local Government by all billing authorities in England on the annual National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) returns.
The figures given are the net empty property relief granted in that year irrespective of the year to which the empty property relief related. It can also include the repayment of non-domestic rates where empty property relief should have been granted in previous years but was not.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the proportion of the 70 per cent. of properties with a rateable value below £15,000 that will claim full relief from business rates in 2009-10 as a result of being empty. [304885]
Barbara Follett: Our reforms to empty property relief are principled and right for the long-term, providing strong incentives for owners to re-let and re-use empty property. A £1.3 billion subsidy to owners of empty commercial property was no longer justified.
However, we have listened to owners. In 2009-10 all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 are eligible for full relief from business rates-70 per cent. of all properties are under this threshold and, if empty, are not liable for rates in 2009-10.
This temporary measure is providing real help to owners to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.
No estimate has been made of the proportion of hereditaments, which have a rateable value below £15,000, that are claiming full relief from business rates as a result of being empty.
The 'National Non-domestic rates collected by local authorities in England 2009-10 (Forecast)' Statistical Release that was published on 28 May 2009 estimated that, in total, 148,000 hereditaments were empty in England as at 31 December 2008. This release can be found on the CLG website at:
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total monetary value of the full relief from business rates in 2009-10 for empty properties with a rateable value below £15,000. [304886]
Barbara Follett: Our reforms to empty property relief are principled and right for the long-term, providing strong incentives for owners to re-let and re-use empty property. A £1.3 billion subsidy to owners of empty commercial property was no longer justified.
However, we have listened to owners. In 2009-10 all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 are eligible for full relief from business rates-70 per cent. of all properties are under this threshold and, if empty, are not liable for rates in 2009-10.
This temporary measure is providing real help to owners to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.
No data on the monetary value of the full relief from business rates in 2009-10 given to empty properties with a rateable value below £15,000 are collected centrally.
An impact assessment of the proposals to increase the exemption threshold for empty property relief from £2,200 to £15,000 was published in February 2009. This forecast is based on a number of assumptions, which are detailed in the impact assessment available at:
The impact assessment forecast that the reform would increase the amount of empty property relief provided by £205 million. The forecast excludes the relief granted to hereditaments with a rateable value of less than £2,200, of which no estimate has been made.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average period of time was for which empty property relief was claimed on a hereditament in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; what estimate he has made of the equivalent figure for 2009-10; and what the actual figure is for 2009-10 to date. [304887]
Barbara Follett: This information is not collected centrally.
Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to undertake an assessment of the benefits of following the Northern Ireland example of postponing the 2010 business rates revaluation. [305938]
Barbara Follett: The postponement of revaluation in Northern Ireland is a devolved decision made by the Northern Ireland Assembly and based on local circumstances.
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Property Development: Floods
Tim Farron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been (a) built, (b) built on flood plains, (c) built in areas of significant flood risk and (d ) built against
the advice of the Environment Agency on the flood risk in each region in the last 10 years. [303296]
Mr. Ian Austin: The number of homes built in each region, and approximate estimates of those built in areas of high flood risk in each region, for the past 10 years is given in the following table. Data are not available on the number of homes built against the advice of the Environment Agency.
| Total dwelling completions and estimated dwellings built on Flood Risk Areas, 1999 to 2008 | ||
| Total completions | Built on flood risk areas | |
Regeneration: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department has provided for (a) regeneration and (b) housing projects in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years; and how much such funding his Department plans to provide in 2010-11. [304997]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The following table illustrates the funding the Department provided to the London borough of Bexley for regeneration.
| Thames Gateway Programme | |
| £ | |
| (1) Grant funding committed | |
(b) The following tables illustrate the funding the Department provided to the London borough of Bexley for housing projects.
| £ | |||||||
| Supporting people administration grant | Supporting people programme grant | Planning delivery grant | L A decent homes | National affordable housing programme | Overcrowding grant( 1) | Homelessness grant | |
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