Business Rates Assessments and Reliefs

The request was successful.

Dear Wycombe District Council,

I understand that your council regularly publishes information on business/non-domestic rated properties, However recent datasets do not confirm whether properties in your area are subject to Retail Relief/Discount.
We therefore request a list detailing all current Rateable Value assessments and which accounts are, and which are not, subject to some form rate relief (eg. Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR), charitable, empty relief, retail relief). Please include the following columns insofar as possible.
• Full Postal Address
• Rating Description (e.g. offices, workshop etc.)
• Correspondence Address (if different from Full Postal Address)
• Account Name
• Account No./Ref.
• Property Ref
• RV 2017
• RV 2010
• SBRR (discount, not multiplier) – yes or no
• Retail Relief/Discount – yes or no
• Vacant – yes or no
• Other relief (e.g. charity, hardship, rural, community & amateur sports clubs etc.) – yes or no
• Current liability start date

Yours faithfully,

Tom Snowdon

access2information, Wycombe District Council

Good afternoon
 
Thank you for your request for information concerning business rates
reliefs. This request has been handled under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000.
 
Under section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in
response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.
Reliefs are available within our business rates section of our web site.
[1]https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/About-t...
We do not have current plans to produce additional data sets with regard
to this type of information as it does not appear to have any public
purpose and appears commercially motivated. Under section 14 of the Act
Councils are able to consider commercial requests vexatious in line with
the Upper Tribunal ruling recently upheld by the Court of Appeal.
[2]http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/AAC/...
In this judgement Judge Wikeley indicates in para 35 & 38 that improper
use of FOIA (such as no public interest) is a valid consideration to make
when considering if a request is vexatious.  Using FOI to gain a
commercial advantage can be included within this definition.  As
explained, the Council currently makes a great deal of information freely
available on our website and we consider any additional time spent on
preparing additional data sets vexatious as it causes undue and
disproportionate burden on the scarce public resources of the Council.
Of course a public body is not always aware of some wider public interests
in a particular area in respect of some requests. If you disagree with the
Council's initial assessment of your request please restate the
information that you wish to be considered for disclosure and why you
consider publication through FOI is in the public interest as opposed to a
purely commercial purpose.
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. 
 
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF phone: 0303 123 1113. Website:
[4]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
 
There is no charge for making an appeal.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Feedback team
Democratic, Legal and Policy Services
Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
HP11 1BB
 
Direct line 01494 421984
Find our latest news at [5]www.wycombe.gov.uk
 
 
 

show quoted sections

Dear access2information,

Thank you for your prompt reply. My request was specific with regards to the Retail Relief/Discount which has been available on qualifying properties since 1 April 2019 and the dataset you linked to on the page provided does not disclose whether or not the listed accounts in Wycombe receive this relief or not. Also, the list was last updated in May 2019, which is seven months ago. Most of the councils we have sought information from on business rates occupiers update their public data on a quarterly basis.

Can you tell me when the next update to the data will take place and whether or not details of retail relief will be disclosed or not?

Yours sincerely,

Tom Snowdon

access2information, Wycombe District Council

1 Attachment

Good afternoon

 

Please find attached a spreadsheet which I hope contains the required
information.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. 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 of 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.

 

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF phone: 0303 123 1113. Website:
[2]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

 

Yours sincerely

 

Feedback team

Democratic, Legal and Policy Services

Wycombe District Council

Queen Victoria Road

High Wycombe

HP11 1BB

 

Direct line 01494 421984

Find our latest news at [3]www.wycombe.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

show quoted sections