Charity’s rates bid refused
A NATIONAL charity which offers supported housing to vulnerable families with a branch is Widnes is due to have its application for discretionary business rate relief refused.
Halton Council’s executive board has been advised to decline a request from The Cyrenians Ltd for an extra 15% relief in its rates worth more than £950 a year over its premises on Ann Street West.
The reason given in a report prior to the meeting on Thursday, July 14, for refusing the application is that the charity is a national organisation, adding that it offers supported housing to vulnerable families seeking refuge.
The document said that as a reg- istered charity, the Widnes branch has already been awarded an 80% mandatory rate relief worth more than £5,100 a year.
It said the organisation’s Ann Street West premises is used as an administrative office and also as a base in Halton to provide volunteer centres, training, funding advice, network support, and social care involvement in the borough.
A request from the charity in 2015 for top-up discretionary rate relief at the Ann Street West premises was rejected by the executive board.
The report said: “This was rejected on the basis that they are a national charity, as historically the council has chosen not to provide top-up discretionary rate relief for national charities.”
A fresh application for another top-up discretionary rate relief was received in April this year from the organisation for the same building, and since then the report said that the maximum award which can be granted by the council is 15%.
In the case of the Ann Street West premises, this would be worth £958.90.
The document said: “On the basis that The Cyrenians Ltd is a national charity, historically the council has chosen not to provide top-up discretionary rate relief for national charities, and their application on April 9, 2015, was rejected on this basis, it is proposed that this latest application be rejected.”