Complete Non-Residential / Business Property Rates Data (Q1 2020)
Gavin Chait made this Freedom of Information request to Warwick District Council as part of a batch sent to 62 authorities This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear Warwick District Council,
In terms of the Freedom of Information Act of 2000, and subject to section 40(2) on personal data, could you please provide me with a complete and up-to-date list of all business (non-residential) property rates data for your local authority, and including the following fields:
- Billing Authority Property Reference Code (linking the property to the VOA database reference)
- Firm's Trading Name (i.e. property occupant)
- Full Property Address (Number, Street, Postal Code, Town)
- Occupied / Vacant
- Date of Occupation / Vacancy
- Actual annual rates charged (in Pounds)
If you are unable to provide an absolute “Occupation / Vacancy” status, please provide the Exemptions and / or Reliefs that a particular property may be receiving.
Please provide these data as machine-readable as either a CSV or Microsoft Excel file, capable of re-use, and under terms of the Open Government Licence (meaning reuse for any and all purposes, including commercial).
I last requested this data three months ago, and this is a request for an updated and current dataset.
I'm sure you get many requests for business rates and responding and managing these FOIs must be costly for you. Could I request that - as 71% of local authorities now do - you update and release this dataset via a dedicated page on your local authority website or on an open data service. I can recommend approaches for you to consider, and you should find that this reduces the time and cost of this request process.
Yours faithfully,
Gavin Chait
Dear Mr Chait
Thank you for your request for information which I acknowledge was received by the District Council on 9 April 2020.
Your request is currently being considered. If the District Council is able to provide you with the information you have requested, then you are entitled to receive it within 20 working days. However at present Warwick District Council’s priority is responding to coronavirus and supporting local communities across Warwick district, providing the help and services needed during this difficult time, therefore the response to your request may take longer, but it will be sent to you in due course.
For your information, the FOI Act defines a number of exemptions which may prevent release of some or all of the information you have requested. The District Council will assess your information request in light of the exemptions. If exemptions do apply, then the District Council may decide not to release all, or part, of the information you have requested. You will be informed if this is the case.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken by the District Council as to whether to release the information to you. You will be kept informed if this is the case.
The District Council will not charge a fee to provide you with the information you have requested, provided the cost of dealing with your request is less than £450. If it appears likely that your request will cost more than £450 to deal with then I will write to you again asking if you are willing to pay the fees incurred, and setting out clearly what those fees will be, in accordance with the FOI Act.
If you have any queries or should you wish to make a complaint about the manner in which your request is being dealt with then please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address in the first instance. Any complaints will be dealt with under the Council’s corporate complaints procedure.
Further information about your rights under the Freedom of Information Act, is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office (0303 123 1113) or on their website www.ico.org.uk, and on the District Council’s website.
Yours sincerely
Phillip McGregor
Corporate Support Assistant
Chief Executive’s Office
Corporate Support Team
Warwick District Council
Riverside House
Milverton Hill
Royal Leamington Spa
CV32 5HZ
Telephone 01926 456123
Group email address: [email address]
Website: www.warwickdc.gov.uk
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Good Evening
In respect of your FOI request detailed below, I am unable to disclose the full information requested based on the recent case law Westminster v Chait in October 2019.
I can however disclose the information attached to you.
I can confirm that the Council holds the information in respect of unoccupied properties. The Council has considered the public interest of being transparent and providing this information against the need to protect empty properties against crime, vandalism and fraudulent claims. Releasing the information you have requested could mean that those with criminal intentions become aware of vacant properties in the district and target them for crime, fraud and vandalism. This information is exempt under section 31 (prejudice to law enforcement) of the Freedom of Information Act and is therefore being withheld.
Warwick District Council now considers that it has complied with your request as a partial reply. However, you have a right to appeal if you are dissatisfied with our response. Requests for an internal review must be made in writing, and within 40 calendar days of this response being issued to you. When requesting an internal review, please include your reference number, the date of your original request and your contact details. Please also include an explanation of why you are dissatisfied with our response. Requests for an internal review should be sent to:
Information Governance
Warwick District Council
Riverside House
Milverton Hill
Leamington Spa
CV32 5RU
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF.
Phone: 0303 123 1113 Website: https://Ico.org.uk
Kind Regards
Caroline Walton
Revenues & Recovery Manager
Revenues | Finance
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