Nursery World - Costs: Part 3: Business Rates

The Government’s plans for business rate relief for small companies garnered headlines, but with them come reforms making it harder to appeal. Karen Faux delves into the detail

If you didn’t know about this, you are not alone. Many providers have said they were not aware there was a capital funding bid process under way – 39 per cent of respondents to a recent Twitter poll – while we know of several local authorities who have only just contacted providers to ask if they are interested in putting together a bid, despite the fact that the deadline is 31 August.

The change to appeals is one aspect of a package of reforms which includes permanently raising rates relief for small businesses. Single-site businesses, with a rateable value (annual market rental value) of £12,000 or less, will be exempt from any charge from April 2017, which is a doubling of the current relief threshold. The Government claims this will take 600,000 small businesses out of the tax, but as yet it is unclear how many early years settings will benefit.

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