Details of charities receiving mandatory and discretionary top up business rate relief

The request was successful.

Dear Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council,

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would kindly ask that you detail the following:

1. How many separate properties are currently receiving non domestic (business rates) mandatory rate relief as a charity?

2. And can you clarify whether these charities receive this at 80% or 100% relief for the years 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19?

3. How much is the total rate relief cost at 80% for charities 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19? This will enable comparative assessment.

4. How much is the additional council discretionary (top up) total charity rate relief cost for mandatory charities 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19? This will enable comparative assessment.

5. Please provide details of which charity receives the smallest and the biggest mandatory rate relief and how much would it’s rates be if it didn’t 2018/2019?

6. Are there any dwellings receiving charity rate relief for trustees 2018/19?

7. To prevent fraudulent receipt of this rate relief and provide open transparency please list these business addresses for the year 2018/19 only together with their mandatory and any top up discretionary business rate relief cost? (Ie: the cost of their business rate relief savings by being a charity)

8. To prevent fraudulent receipt of this rate relief and provide open transparency please list these business addresses for the year 2018/19 only with how mich they pay in business rates at the reduced rate?

9. How many investigations have led to the cessation of this charity related business mandatory rate relief and top up arising from the misapplication of this rate relief, its misuse or other information?

10. How many prosecutions has the council conducted regarding this specific economic crime?

Yours faithfully,

M Martin

Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your request for information regarding ‘Details of charities receiving mandatory and discretionary top up business rate relief’ (reference number 04403). Your request was received on the 13/03/19 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

If you have any queries about this request, please contact Information Governance on 01254 585852. Alternatively, our email address is [Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email].         

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind Regards,

Fatima Makken
Apprentice Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
01254 222527

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Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your request for information regarding ‘Details of charities receiving mandatory and discretionary top up business rate relief’ (reference number 04403); Please see our response attached and/or below. If you have any queries regarding your request for information then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request for information and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to: Information Governance Manager, Information Governance, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, G Floor, Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7DY or email [Blackburn with Darwen Borough 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 complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. 
 
Please find attached our 'have your say' feedback policy. 

Kind Regards,

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651

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Dear Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Details of charities receiving mandatory and discretionary top up business rate relief'.

[ GIVE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT HERE ]
The response so far only partially answers a question and does not specify which year. It does not answer all the questions. The information merely provides a list of premises receiving mandatory discretionary relief. It does not specify or name the charities involved nor provide details relevant to the different years.....

Please review the questions and provide the answers.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

Yours faithfully,

M Martin

Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Dear M Martin,

Thank you for your email regarding your request for information (reference number (04403).

I am writing to confirm that I have sent your request for a review back to the department responsible for providing the data and will get back to you shortly regarding the outcome.

Kind regards,

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651

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Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your query regarding your request for information regarding ‘Details of charities receiving mandatory and discretionary top up business rate relief’ (reference number 04403); Please accept my sincere apologies for the omission of some of the information you requested. This was an error on our part. Please find the information you requested below and attached.

1. How many separate properties are currently receiving non domestic (business rates) mandatory rate relief as a charity? 261

2. And can you clarify whether these charities receive this at 80% or 100% relief for the years 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19? 80% in all years

3. How much is the total rate relief cost at 80% for charities 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19? This will enable comparative assessment. 2016/17 is £4,770,751, 2017/18 is £4,708,355& 2018/19 is £4,680,139

4. How much is the additional council discretionary (top up) total charity rate relief cost for mandatory charities 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19? This will enable comparative assessment. 2016/17 is £28,592, 2017/18 is £26,189 & 2018/19 is £28,006

5. Please provide details of which charity receives the smallest and the biggest mandatory rate relief and how much would it’s rates be if it didn’t 2018/2019? Highest is Blackburn College & payable would be £739,500 and smallest is The Livesey Foundation and payable would be £82.33

6. Are there any dwellings receiving charity rate relief for trustees 2018/19? No

7. To prevent fraudulent receipt of this rate relief and provide open transparency please list these business addresses for the year 2018/19 only together with their mandatory and any top up discretionary business rate relief cost? (Ie: the cost of their business rate relief savings by being a charity) - See attached

8. To prevent fraudulent receipt of this rate relief and provide open transparency please list these business addresses for the year 2018/19 only with how much they pay in business rates at the reduced rate? - See attached

9. How many investigations have led to the cessation of this charity related business mandatory rate relief and top up arising from the misapplication of this rate relief, its misuse or other information? 0

10. How many prosecutions has the council conducted regarding this specific economic crime? 0

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request for information and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to: Information Governance Manager, Information Governance, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, G Floor, Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7DY or email [Blackburn with Darwen Borough 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 complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. 
 
Please find attached our 'have your say' feedback policy. 

Kind Regards,

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651

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Dear Accesstoinformation,

Per request after contact with Blackburn information governance 25/3/19, re question 7 could the charity names be included with the business addresses in the provided table re mandatory and discretionary reliefs.

Yours sincerely,

M Martin

Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Dear M Martin,

Thank you for your email. Please be advised that your request is now being processed under reference number 04453.

Your request was received on the 25/03/19 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and/or Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

If you have any queries about this request, please contact Information Governance on 01254 585852. Alternatively, our email address is [Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council request email]

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Kind Regards,

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651

show quoted sections

Accesstoinformation, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear M Martin,

Thank you for your email. Please be advised that your request is now being processed under reference number 04453; Please see our response attached and/or below. If you have any queries regarding your request for information then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request for information and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to: Information Governance Manager, Information Governance, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, G Floor, Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 7DY or email [Blackburn with Darwen Borough 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 complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. 
 
Please find attached our 'have your say' feedback policy. 

Kind Regards,

Heather Wolstenholme
Information Governance Officer
Email: [email address]
Tel: 01254 585651

show quoted sections