SUMMARY OF MEETING - LOCAL AUTHORITY LIAISON GROUP MEETING
7 SEPTEMBER 2005

PRESENT:

Mr David Tretton VOA (Chair)
Mr Alan Dowling VOA
Ms Diane Curtis VOA
Ms Liz Toher VOA
Mr Fern Silverno Local Authority Harrow
Mr David Maddison Local Government Association
Mr A Miller Local Authority Hull

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from: Margaret Elcocks, Carla Maria – Heath, Stephen Wright, Tim Eden and Charlotte Corkish.

Kevin Hodgson will be representing Colchester at future meetings.

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted as being a true record.

3. MATTERS ARISING

Feedback from BA’s was useful and Alan Dowling would like to continue to receive feedback.

4. 2005 RATING LIST

122,000 appeals received as at 31 st August 2005. Modest level of appeal receipt was expected from August forecast of 150,000 by 30 th September. Some agents are still reporting problems in getting their software ready and this will further delay appeals they are making until late Sept/October.

5. COUNCIL TAX UPDATE

Project 1, the software that will generate value estimates of nearly 22m properties went live on 5 th September.

Groups are currently focused on completing the validation of all sales received between 01/01/04-30/06/05 by 30 September 2005 and continuing with data enhancement.

6. VOA/BA IT INTERFACE ISSUES

Internet File Transfer System (IFTS)

Alan Dowling updated attendees on the IFTS usage statistics, which showed a great increase since March 2005. Over 300 BAs were now regularly using the site.

Jan – Dec 2004: CT – 15007 files downloaded by 344 different BAs NDR – 20669 files downloaded by 375 different BAs

Jan – August 2005: CT – 28978 files downloaded by 365 different BAs (14 BAs only downloaded NDR files and 1 BA has never downloaded any files)

NDR – 50429 files downloaded by 379 different BAs (1 BA has never downloaded any files)

Detailed statistics from April to August 2005 are attached.

BA representatives were reminded that the Internet is the only method of obtaining electronic files. Streamer tape & floppy disc outputs have, as indicated in the CMOA for the last few years, ceased to be available since 31/3/05.

Work is in progress to make the list and schedule generation process compliant with the latest version of the Valuebill Schema – V3.1.

Alan reported the completion of this project, which now enables electronic submission and automated registration of 2005 List Proposals. This service is being widely used by many of the major rating agents. It is currently working well and no problems have been reported recently.

Alan stated that the IT architectural work to identify possible solutions for electronic BA Reports has been completed. Five Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions have been held over the last 4 weeks to drive out detailed requirements. The VOA expects to have costed options for building and testing the software by the middle of September. Due to the extent and complexity of the work required on the VOA end, it may no longer be possible to meet the original completion date of December 2005. As with the introduction of the facility to upload electronic lists and schedules, the take up of the electronic BA reports facility is expected to be gradual.

The vision is to provide BAs with facilities to submit BA reports via a web interface. This will include the facility to complete and submit an on-line BA Report form, to upload an approved Excel spreadsheet (using the VOA supplied template) or to upload Valuebill XML files via the BA File Transfer website. At the VOA end this will enable more automation of the report registration process.

IT Services Division would like to record its thanks to the various BAs that have contributed to the JAD sessions. It was extremely useful having their input and comments to gain an understanding of their end of the process.

A newsletter will be issued to Billing Authorities, via GCSMs (and published on the BA File Transfer website) by the end of September. This is to inform them of the changes and the date from which the files, compliant with the new version 3.1 of the XML Schemas, will be available. Earlier files will continue to comply with version 3.0.

There have been no changes to the CMOA since the last meeting. A review for the 2006 – 2007 CMOA will be carried out towards the end of this year.

Some discussion of the local agreements followed, particularly with regard to local differences in targets. As the agreements do not appear to be binding on either VOA or the BA, their value was questioned.

Alan reported that there have been 11 bulk updates requested since the beginning of May and 18 updates have been completed. These updates have major benefits for electronic data interchange between the VOA and the BAs as they enable a considerable amount of the processing to be automated. Further benefits will be realised when the electronic BA Reports facility comes on-line.

File Transfer Statistics

The table below shows the quantities and different formats downloaded between April & August 2005:

Action point – Update on Value bill

Action point – Query whether Local Offices were looking into BA Reports rather than sending back to the Billing Authorities.

7. RATING CASES OF INTEREST

W ith 10 days to the LT hearing date the ratepayers offered to withdraw their 9 appeals and consented to the VO’s appeals reversing the temporary allowance that the VT had determined.

H. J. Banks and Co. Ltd.

No news has been received on Banks’ application for leave to appeal the LT Decision at the Court of Appeal is to be heard orally by CA.

The test case on Bisham Abbey goes to VT on 29 September

Bisham is occupied by Sport England. The agents have indicated that they are prepared to agree all facts as well as valuations in the alternative, so that the only issue before the VT will be whether or not a deduction should be made for grant. As previously indicated, the decision of the VT is almost certain to be appealed by one or both parties.

The preliminary hearing on the exemption issues in this case will be heard on 12 th-14 th September before the President of the Lands Tribunal. The main issue is whether the Temple and various other parts of the complex qualify for exemption as a “church hall or similar building”

This case was heard by the LT on 15 June with David Mould acting for the VO.

The VOA case was that the appeal hereditament had been correctly identified. The value was not in dispute. The case for the defendants was that procedural matters, errors or omissions such as a composite flag in an historic CL entry (Nickerson UK), were fatal to the validity of subsequent alterations to the list to split the assessment to create a new (and accurate) entry of Nickerson Zwaan Ltd. (P Scafton acting)

8. CUSTOMER SERVICES

The Valuation Office Agency has received 122 requests for information, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, in the first two quarters.

9. VOA/BA END – TO – END REVIEW

Action Point – David Madison to forward details of the outcome of the end-to-end review.

10. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Action point – Alan Dowling to find out why the why the frequency of NDR schedules was increased.

The change to 3 times a month schedules came about at the start of the 2005 List (April 2005).

11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING