Local Discretionary Rate Relief Scheme

Local Discretionary Rate Relief Scheme

Businesses in the North Kesteven District who have seen a rise in their business rates liability due to the revaluation which took effect on 1st April 2017 should have by now, received application forms for a New Local Discretionary Relief which was approved by North Kesteven District Council's Executive on 7th September 2017.

These application forms were issued around 15th September 2017. If you wish to apply for this relief you will need to have completed this form and returned it to: Business Rates, PO Box 1257, Lincoln LN5 5PQ.

If you have not had a form and you believe that this discount should apply to you, please contact your Local Authority on 01522 873342.

Local Discretionary Rate Relief Scheme
Increase in rate bill following the revaluation by comparing the 2016/17 bill with 2017/18 bill Amount of extra relief they would receive under the scheme
Up to and including £25 Full relief
£25.01 to £500.99 bill increase 50%
£501 to £1,000.99 bill increase £300
£1,001 to £2,000.99 bill increase £650
£2,001 to £3,000.99 bill increase £1,050
£3,001 to £4,000.99 bill increase £1,500
£4,001+ bill increase £1,600

Applications for the Local Discretionary Relief for 2017/2018 must be received by the Council no later than 30/9/2018.

You will receive a form where the Council has identified you as someone who has had an increase in your annual liability between 2016/17 and 2017/18, and that this increase was due to the revaluation. If the increase in your annual liability is not solely due to the revaluation of the property, your application may be rejected.  

The New Local Discretionary relief is considered to be State Aid and there are restrictions on how much State Aid you may receive over a three year period, this is 200,000 Euros for anyone company or sole trader.

Please ensure that you meet the State Aid requirements before signing and returning the form.  Further information regarding State Aid is available on the Gov.uk website.

As soon as the application form is received by North Kesteven District Council we will check that everything looks okay and apply the relief if appropriate. You will then receive a new bill showing the rate relief has been applied.

We are encouraging all ratepayers to return their forms to us by 31st December 2017 if you want the rate relief to be applied to your account this year. There are some restrictions on backdating discretionary relief and why wait, get your application in now while it is on your mind. DON’T MISS THE CHANCE FOR A REDUCTION IN YOUR RATES. 

Yes, if you are eligible you will still get the relief. Credits on the account of less than £25 will be carried forward into the New Year. Other credits will be carried forward, unless you request a refund.

Yes there are several exclusions, a copy of the full report will be published on our website. Some exclusions are shown below:

  • Properties occupied by Precepting Authorities such as North Kesteven District Council, the County Council, Parish Councils and the Police.
  • Empty properties
  • Properties with a rateable value of £100,000 or above. 

You may contact us to discuss the reasons why and we will consider your comments. If you are still unhappy with the decision, appeals should be by way of an application for Judicial Review.

We are unable to issue the application forms until the schemes for these Authorities are considered. For City of Lincoln Council this will be on 25th September 2017 and for West Lindsey District Council this will be 9th November 2017. Forms will be issued as soon as we know which of the proposed schemes is approved.

No two districts are identical and each authority has created a scheme which they believe helps the people who are most in need of help in their area. There are some restrictions provided for by Central Government but on the whole the authorities tailor their schemes to meet the needs of their own ratepayers.

Each year the Council will have to create a new scheme. As these are not fully decided yet, you may find that you do not qualify for future years. Therefore all qualifying ratepayers will be issued with an annual application form in order to complete the State Aid statement.