SUMMARY OF MEETING - LOCAL AUTHORITY LIAISON GROUP MEETING
17 May 2007

PRESENT:

• Patrick Bond
• Kevin Hodgson
• Tim Eden
• Andy Miller
• Alan Bradford
• Stephen Wright
• Sara Benbow
• Steve Bliss
• Alan Dowling
• Margaret Elcocks
• David Maddison
• Andrew Turpin
• Stephen Wright

2. Previous Minutes

The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed.

3. Matters Arising

None

4. Non Domestic Revaluation 2010

• The meeting was informed that preparation work on market knowledge was being undertaken across the network. Where rental information was missing, forms of return were sent out to correct the position.

Co-ordination teams will be focussing on particular areas to acquire in depth knowledge of specialist sectors

The meeting was also updated on the progress of plans for prior agreement for 2010 and key dates for the 2010 ND revaluation programme.

• autumn 2009

5. Council Tax

The meeting was updated on the impact of the recent TV publicity of CT on the current work of LOs. . This had led to the great increase of enquiries in the network, which had put the CT Teams around the country under considerable pressure. Due to the restricted nature of the circumstances in which a valid proposal can be made, the majority had to be treated as enquiries whereby bandings had to be checked.

Technical advice had been given on effective dates, on recognizing invalid proposals and on what might constitute a material reduction involving a ‘physical change to the state of a dwelling’s locality’ under s24 (10) LGFA 1993. The Council Tax Manual had also been updated.

The meeting was updated on CT proposals involving discovery of contaminated land, unknown at 1/4/93. Local authorities were required, under EC regulations, to risk assess sites where historic contamination was known to exist, for example former quarries, redeveloped industrial sites and consolidated former dumps. This had given rise to a small number of proposals seeking band reductions.

The Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006 came into effect on 1st April 2007. Under these regulations the effective date for a ‘material increase’ following a ‘relevant transaction’, was no longer the date of that transaction, but the date the LO changed the list. The meeting was given a brief summary on current issues including disaggregation, (the necessity to band all self contained units), traffic increase proposals in relation to ‘material reduction’, and the issue of when stables can be considered part of a dwelling as an appurtenance.

Limitation Act: The meeting discussed the application of the Limitation Act in circumstances where BA’s are required to repay Council Tax, which an authority was relying on to resist repayment.

6. VOA/BA IT Interface

Attendees were updated on the following: -

• E-BARS- Take up statistics and the outcome of the Post Implementation Review, including 4 software changes already made in relation to the BA front end of the application.
  
• CMOR- Final version issued and signed off. Agreement now available on the VOA Website through IFTS and E-BARS applications.
  
• BA Newsletter No.6- Advice on E-BARS, keeping BA reference numbers in step, VOA file retention limits and news on the recent questionnaire and possible application enhancements.
  
• BA Questionnaire- Analysis of around 120 questionnaires in progress. A reminder to be sent out by LGA.
  
• Other Software Changes- Changes due (Reval 2010/CT Appeals Direct and RSA/CT WIA releases)
  It was agreed to take back 2 queries forward in relation to: -
  
• An indication on schedules in relation to transitional certificates Flag-
  
• The format of the calendar on the CMOA and the Internet applications Websites-

7. Rating Case Update

David Tretton provided a brief update.

8. Customer Services

The meeting was informed that there were a high level of PQs and that this was giving Customer Services a great deal of work.

9. Any Other Business

The meeting discussed a website on Masts and also the Empty Property Rate Bill, which is progressing. It was identified that this will give BAs a large amount of work with effect from 1st April 2008. The attendees were asked to think about this in advance.

10. Date of Next Meeting

23rd October 2007- 1.30pm.