The Cabinet considered the report of the Interim Director of Finance indicating that as part of the Officer Budget Options a change in awarding discretionary rate relief for non domestic charge payers was proposed and accepted at Budget Cabinet (minute 198, 21 February 2013). The report indicated that this reduced the budget for this relief by £320,000 from 2014/15. To do this all current recipients must be given twelve months notice for any change to start in the next financial year. This would be done by giving an end date for all current awards of 31 March 2014. During the next financial year new criteria would be developed for member consideration and approval and new applications would be invited from relevant organisations.

Councillor P.Davies, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report and indicated that it sought approval for this to be implemented by 31 March 2013 to realise the required savings and allow the new criteria to be used from 1 April 2014 for the current recipients.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  all current awards of Discretionary Rate Relief are given an end date of 31 March 2014 and notice be given by all organisations by 31 March 2013, as well as highlighting that new criteria are to be developed for the award of discretionary rate relief from 2014/15; and

(2)   Members be presented new criteria for consideration to allow development of an amended discretionary rate relief policy to include comparison with other neighbouring authority schemes.