Business Rates

The request was refused by Wycombe District Council.

Dear Wycombe District Council,

Please can you provide me with the following information under the
Freedom Of Information Act 2000:-

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please provide the date of the data) with;
(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and addresses.
(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above
for each property and their correspondence address (if different
from the property address)
(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the property reference not the account number)
(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the
business rates
(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty
(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving
I. Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief)
II. Discretionary rate relief
III. Empty property rate relief
IV. Listed building exemption
V. Retail Relief
VI Small Business Rate Relief
VII. Any other relief
(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts

In accordance with the ICO Torbay decision, I would appreciate it of this Council did not withhold the names of sole traders and partners. In the circumstances of the Torbay case the individuals were private landlords or sole traders and the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names would not breach the first data protection principle as the information relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned and not activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives. The Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet schedule 2 condition 6 of the Data Protection Act.

Thanking you in advance.

Yours faithfully,

Katy Stone

Wycombe District Council

Your Eform 'Wycombe FOI (1.0).wdf' was successfully submitted.
Date Submitted: 3/5/2016 10:18:48

Wycombe District Council

Your Eform 'Wycombe FOI (1.0).wdf' was successfully submitted.
Date Submitted: 6/5/2016 11:47:32

Pamela Wharton, Wycombe District Council

Dear Ms Stone

I am writing in connection with your request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 Commercial properties - business rates,
which I received on 6 May 2016. 

I have forwarded your request for information to Jennie Rahman, Business
Support Manager, Revenues & Benefits.  She will contact you shortly if she
requires any additional information in order to respond to your request
appropriately. She will also contact you if she feels your request may
fall under a requirement for a fee to be levied regarding the request for
information this fee will need to be paid prior to the request for
information being answered. 

Every effort will be made to respond to you within 10 working days of
receipt of your request.  However, if because of the nature of your
request further investigations are necessary, we will respond within the
20 working day maximum entitled to us under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

In the meantime, if you have any further comments relating to your
request, please contact the above named quoting the reference number
above.

Yours sincerely

 

Pamela Wharton
Business Support Manager

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 1BB
Direct line: 01494 421301

Ref Email: [FOI #332009 email]

From: [email address]
To: [email address],
[email address], [email address]
Subject: FOI Form Submitted

Title: Ms
Forenames: Katy
Surname: Stone
Address1:
Address2:
Address3:
Town:
County:
Postcode:
Phone:
Email: [FOI #332009 email]
CommType: Freedom of Information
Freetext: Please can you provide me with the following information under
the Freedom Of Information Act 2000:

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;
(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses.
(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address)
(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number)
(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates
(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty
(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief
(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts

In accordance with the ICO Torbay decision, I would appreciate it of this
Council did not withhold the names of sole traders and partners. In the
circumstances of the Torbay case the individuals were private landlords or
sole traders and the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names
would not breach the first data protection principle as the information
relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned and not
activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives. The
Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet schedule 2
condition 6 of the Data Protection Act.
Subject: Council Tax & Business Rates
Senders Ref: Commercial properties - business rates
FileRef: Not Known
Location: Not Known
Email End

****** HELP US TO REDUCE PAPER USE ******
****** DO NOT PRINT THIS EMAIL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ******
****** DISCLAIMER *****
Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and are
not necessarily those of Wycombe District Council.
This email and any files transmitted within it are strictly confidential
and intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of
this email you must not copy, distribute or use the
communication in any other way. If you do receive this email in error
please contact the sender as soon as possible and
delete the email and any attachments. Wycombe District Council may monitor
the contents of email sent and received
via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies
and procedures.
Wycombe District Council has scanned this email and attachments for
viruses but does not accept any responsibilities
for viruses once this email has been transmitted. The recipient is
responsible for scanning emails and any attachments for viruses
themselves.
This message has been scanned for viruses by MailControl, a service from
BlackSpider Technologies.

Click here to report this email as spam.

Find our latest news at [1]www.wycombe.gov.uk and follow us on Twitter
@wycombedc

References

Visible links
1. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/

Pamela Wharton, Wycombe District Council

Dear Ms Stone

I am writing in connection with your request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 for Commercial properties - business
rates, which I received on 3 May 2016. 

Wycombe District Council confirms that it does hold information covered
by your request; however we believe that the complexity and volume of the
information you have requested means that it is impracticable to respond
fully to your request within 10 working days. I am therefore writing to
inform you that we intend to issue you with a formal response by 31st May
2016.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to the Information Officer Council Offices Queen Victoria
Road High Wycombe HP11 1BB or email [1][Wycombe District Council request email].

 

^

Yours sincerely

 

Pamela Wharton
Business Support Manager

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 1BB
Direct line: 01494 421301

Ref Email: [FOI #332009 email]

From: [email address]
To: [email address],
[email address], [email address]
Subject: FOI Form Submitted

Title: Ms
Forenames: Katy
Surname: Stone
Address1:
Address2:
Address3:
Town:
County:
Postcode:
Phone:
Email: [FOI #332009 email]
CommType: Freedom of Information
Freetext: Please can you provide me with the following information under
the Freedom Of Information Act 2000:

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;
(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses.
(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address)
(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number)
(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates
(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty
(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief
(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts

In accordance with the ICO Torbay decision, I would appreciate it of this
Council did not withhold the names of sole traders and partners. In the
circumstances of the Torbay case the individuals were private landlords or
sole traders and the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names
would not breach the first data protection principle as the information
relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned and not
activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives. The
Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet schedule 2
condition 6 of the Data Protection Act.
Subject: Council Tax & Business Rates
Senders Ref: Commercial properties - business rates
FileRef: Not Known
Location: Not Known
Email End

****** HELP US TO REDUCE PAPER USE ******
****** DO NOT PRINT THIS EMAIL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ******
****** DISCLAIMER *****
Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and are
not necessarily those of Wycombe District Council.
This email and any files transmitted within it are strictly confidential
and intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of
this email you must not copy, distribute or use the
communication in any other way. If you do receive this email in error
please contact the sender as soon as possible and
delete the email and any attachments. Wycombe District Council may monitor
the contents of email sent and received
via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies
and procedures.
Wycombe District Council has scanned this email and attachments for
viruses but does not accept any responsibilities
for viruses once this email has been transmitted. The recipient is
responsible for scanning emails and any attachments for viruses
themselves.
This message has been scanned for viruses by MailControl, a service from
BlackSpider Technologies.

Click here to report this email as spam.

Find our latest news at [2]www.wycombe.gov.uk and follow us on Twitter
@wycombedc

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Wycombe District Council request email]
2. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/

Pamela Wharton, Wycombe District Council

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    All NNDR Properties with rates payable for 2015 16 2016 17 SM Ref 16131.xls

    1.8M Download View as HTML

Dear Ms Stone 

I am writing in connection with your request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 for Commercial properties - business
rates. 

The Council has recently updated all the website reports which holds a lot
of the information you are seeking - see below for details of which are
held on the website.   

[1]http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/do-it-online/o...

 

The only part that is not included on the website reports is the rates
payable for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 year.  Therefore I have attached a
spreadsheet showing this information.

 

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;

(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses. On website

(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address) On website

(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number) On website

(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
See attached spreadsheet

(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates On website

(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty On website

(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief On
website

(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts On website

 

With regard to the information relating to sole traders, the council needs
a further 20 days to further consider the published opposing views on this
matter.

 

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Some of the information that we provide in response to information
requests will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the
copyright will be owned by Wycombe District Council. The copyright in
other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as
indicated in the information itself.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting.  With regard to Wycombe District Council
copyright information you are encouraged to use and re-use this material. 
To support reuse, the information is made available under licence and its
use indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the licence. 

 

Link to Open Government Licence

[2]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...

 

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation, you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission. Compliance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1998 is
your sole responsibility and Wycombe District Council accepts no liability
for infringement of any intellectual property rights, including copyright.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to the Information Officer Council Offices Queen Victoria
Road High Wycombe HP11 1BB or email [3][Wycombe District Council request email].

 

If you are not content with the outcome your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the internal review
procedure provided by Wycombe District Council.  The Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: [4]www.ico.gov.uk

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Pamela Wharton
Business Support Manager

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 1BB
Direct line: 01494 421301

Ref Email: [FOI #332009 email]

From: [email address]
To: [email address],
[email address], [email address]
Subject: FOI Form Submitted

Title: Ms
Forenames: Katy
Surname: Stone
Address1:
Address2:
Address3:
Town:
County:
Postcode:
Phone:
Email: [FOI #332009 email]
CommType: Freedom of Information
Freetext: Please can you provide me with the following information under
the Freedom Of Information Act 2000:

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;
(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses.
(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address)
(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number)
(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates
(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty
(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief
(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts

In accordance with the ICO Torbay decision, I would appreciate it of this
Council did not withhold the names of sole traders and partners. In the
circumstances of the Torbay case the individuals were private landlords or
sole traders and the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names
would not breach the first data protection principle as the information
relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned and not
activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives. The
Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet schedule 2
condition 6 of the Data Protection Act.
Subject: Council Tax & Business Rates
Senders Ref: Commercial properties - business rates
FileRef: Not Known
Location: Not Known
Email End

****** HELP US TO REDUCE PAPER USE ******
****** DO NOT PRINT THIS EMAIL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ******
****** DISCLAIMER *****
Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and are
not necessarily those of Wycombe District Council.
This email and any files transmitted within it are strictly confidential
and intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of
this email you must not copy, distribute or use the
communication in any other way. If you do receive this email in error
please contact the sender as soon as possible and
delete the email and any attachments. Wycombe District Council may monitor
the contents of email sent and received
via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies
and procedures.
Wycombe District Council has scanned this email and attachments for
viruses but does not accept any responsibilities
for viruses once this email has been transmitted. The recipient is
responsible for scanning emails and any attachments for viruses
themselves.
This message has been scanned for viruses by MailControl, a service from
BlackSpider Technologies.

Click here to report this email as spam.

Find our latest news at [5]www.wycombe.gov.uk and follow us on Twitter
@wycombedc

References

Visible links
1. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/do-it-online/o...
2. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...
3. mailto:[Wycombe District Council request email]
4. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
5. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/

Dear Pamela Wharton,

Thank you for your response. the link does not appear to work and I cannot find it looking on your website, would you kindly check it and resend?

Thanks

Yours sincerely,

Katy Stone

Business Support, Wycombe District Council

Hello Katy

Apologies, the website has been restructured and this is the new link:

https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/About-t...

Regards

Pamela Wharton
Business Support Manager
Finance & Commercial Services

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 1BB

Tel: 01494 421301

www.wycombe.gov.uk

show quoted sections

Andy Green, Wycombe District Council

Dear Mr Stone

 

Further to the Council’s email dated 7^th June 2016 (copied below), the
Council is satisfied that sole traders have an expectation of privacy in
relation to their liability and reliefs in relation to business rates. The
requested information constitutes 3^rd party personal data and to disclose
it would breach the first data protection principle to process personal
data fairly and lawfully.

 

In your request you refer to the issue of disclosure of private landlord
information in the Torbay case. The Council  considers the decision in
this case to be distinguishable on its own facts and disclosure ultimately
hinged on the issue of significant public interest given the national and
local statistics and “considerable public debate about the subsidy that
housing benefit provides to public landlords”…

Based on your FOI request the same argument is not evident in relation to
business rates and in view of this and for the reasons stated above the
Council has come to the opinion that exemption under section 40 (3) (a)
(i) applies.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to the Information Officer Council Offices Queen Victoria
Road High Wycombe HP11 1BB or email [1][Wycombe District Council request email].

 

If you are not content with the outcome your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the internal review
procedure provided by Wycombe District Council.  The Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: [2]www.ico.gov.uk

 

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

 

Yours sincerely

Mr A Green IRRV (Hons)

Revenues and benefits service manager

01494 421001

 

 

 

Dear Ms Stone 

I am writing in connection with your request for information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 for Commercial properties - business
rates. 

The Council has recently updated all the website reports which holds a lot
of the information you are seeking - see below for details of which are
held on the website.   

[3]http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/do-it-online/o...

 

The only part that is not included on the website reports is the rates
payable for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 year.  Therefore I have attached a
spreadsheet showing this information.

 

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;

(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses. On website

(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address) On website

(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number) On website

(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
See attached spreadsheet

(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates On website

(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty On website

(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief On
website

(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts On website

 

With regard to the information relating to sole traders, the council needs
a further 20 days to further consider the published opposing views on this
matter.

 

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

 

Some of the information that we provide in response to information
requests will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the
copyright will be owned by Wycombe District Council. The copyright in
other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as
indicated in the information itself.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting.  With regard to Wycombe District Council
copyright information you are encouraged to use and re-use this material. 
To support reuse, the information is made available under licence and its
use indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of the licence. 

 

Link to Open Government Licence

[4]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...

 

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation, you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission. Compliance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1998 is
your sole responsibility and Wycombe District Council accepts no liability
for infringement of any intellectual property rights, including copyright.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to the Information Officer Council Offices Queen Victoria
Road High Wycombe HP11 1BB or email [5][Wycombe District Council request email].

 

If you are not content with the outcome your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the internal review
procedure provided by Wycombe District Council.  The Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: [6]www.ico.gov.uk

 

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Pamela Wharton
Business Support Manager

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Bucks
HP11 1BB
Direct line: 01494 421301

Ref Email: [7][FOI #332009 email]

From: [8][email address]
To: [9][email address],
[10][email address], [11][email address]
Subject: FOI Form Submitted

Title: Ms
Forenames: Katy
Surname: Stone
Address1:
Address2:
Address3:
Town:
County:
Postcode:
Phone:
Email: [12][FOI #332009 email]
CommType: Freedom of Information
Freetext: Please can you provide me with the following information under
the Freedom Of Information Act 2000:

The most up to date list you can obtain (Ideally from April 2016) (please
provide the date of the data) with;
(a) List all Commercial properties with their Rateable Values and
addresses.
(b) The names and addresses of the Rate payers referred to above for each
property and their correspondence address (if different from the property
address)
(c) The full billing authority reference for each property (this is the
property reference not the account number)
(d) The current liability payable for the year 2015/16 & 2016/17
(e) The date the rateable occupier first became liable for the business
rates
(f) If the property is empty that date it became empty
(g) Please also state which hereditament is currently receiving I.
Charitable rate relief (mandatory rate relief) II. Discretionary rate
relief III. Empty property rate relief IV. Listed building exemption V.
Retail Relief VI Small Business Rate Relief VII. Any other relief
(h) List of all credits on account and the amounts

In accordance with the ICO Torbay decision, I would appreciate it of this
Council did not withhold the names of sole traders and partners. In the
circumstances of the Torbay case the individuals were private landlords or
sole traders and the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names
would not breach the first data protection principle as the information
relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned and not
activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives. The
Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet schedule 2
condition 6 of the Data Protection Act.
Subject: Council Tax & Business Rates
Senders Ref: Commercial properties - business rates
FileRef: Not Known
Location: Not Known
Email End

****** HELP US TO REDUCE PAPER USE ******
****** DO NOT PRINT THIS EMAIL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ******
****** DISCLAIMER *****
Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and are
not necessarily those of Wycombe District Council.
This email and any files transmitted within it are strictly confidential
and intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of
this email you must not copy, distribute or use the
communication in any other way. If you do receive this email in error
please contact the sender as soon as possible and
delete the email and any attachments. Wycombe District Council may monitor
the contents of email sent and received
via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with its policies
and procedures.
Wycombe District Council has scanned this email and attachments for
viruses but does not accept any responsibilities
for viruses once this email has been transmitted. The recipient is
responsible for scanning emails and any attachments for viruses
themselves.
This message has been scanned for viruses by MailControl, a service from
BlackSpider Technologies.

Click here to report this email as spam.

Find our latest news at [13]www.wycombe.gov.uk and follow us on Twitter
@wycombedc

 

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Wycombe District Council request email]
2. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
3. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/do-it-online/o...
4. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...
5. mailto:[Wycombe District Council request email]
6. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
7. mailto:[FOI #332009 email]
8. mailto:[email address]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. mailto:[email address]
11. mailto:[email address]
12. mailto:[FOI #332009 email]
13. http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/