At Monday’s Discussion Group, our main discourse was on the recent High Court ruling on a Croydon CTR case. It is a significant case and raises many questions. More importantly it demonstrates the importance of understanding the wider law when constructing a CTR scheme. Three key points came out of the discussion
1) Can a council defend itself from challenge by simply stating that a consultation was the opportunity to deal with any imperfections in the scheme?
2) If you can’t change the scheme mid-year and a court finds it discriminatory, how do you address the issue?
3) A High Court cannot change your scheme but can impose damages on your case. However, a judicial review following a high court judgement like this could be very damaging.
It is worth noting Kim Larkin of HB Directory’s comments, which are spot on. I have included them in the slide pack.
Kevin Stewart of Erewash Borough Council gave us a quick and comprehensive update on Business Rates and Council Tax.
Although it’ll be a while before you review your CTR scheme, it’s worth considering redrafting it in clear and simple language. We’ll point out any areas where you might need to improve. For more information, please contact Malcolm at visionarynetwork.co.uk. During the process we will analyse your CTR scheme to make sure you’re completely comfortable with it so you’ll be in a better position to defend the scheme if it’s ever challenged.
The recording: https://bit.ly/VNIRBDG230403
The slide pack is attached links to the reports and tables mentioned in the slide pack and recording can be found below.
Here is the link to our WhatsApp group: https://bit.ly/3Qjrkqe
Please note: the slide pack holds additional slides covering other items of interest in the news and job adverts which are supplied in partnership by Business Smart (https://www.businesssmartsolutions.co.uk/).
Four benefit calculator companies, EntitledTo, Ferret, Policy in Practice, and InBest have asked you to provide them with copies of your 2023/24 Council Tax Scheme. This is to know how the schemes have changed, so they can update their online calculators. To make things easier there is a simple form to do this: https://bit.ly/CTR2324. One form for all four calculators.
Worth a listen is the latest episode of CIPFA Speaks: CIPFA head of policy, Joanne Pitt, and CFO and strategic director of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, Tracy Bingham, feature on this month’s episode of CIPFA Speaks! This episode is all about council tax, how it is set and the reasons for the regional differences.