‘We have offered a range of help’

Cllr Philip Mirfin, executive member for regeneration, responds to the retailers

ARANGE of support has been offered via the local Business Association, following discussions with businesses last year, and continues to be available, but businesses must apply for it themselves.

Businesses are assessed individually, as each will have been affected differently.

This support includes access to local Section 47 Business Rates Relief, free consultancy support with how to seek national Business Rates Relief from Vail Williams, free marketing and advice through Love Wokingham, our offer to pre-fund the Wokingham Business Association to set up a local Business Improvement District to give businesses access to independent funding and other resources, plus the parking initiative Free After Three [which ran from November through to March].

What amount of money was originally programmed in to your budget to help us pay our business rates, and rent?

No maximum cap could be set for Section 47 Business Rates support, as businesses are being assessed individually.

Marketing, staffing costs, along with other resources, such as professional photography for businesses to use, are being funded as required.

There is also no cap on consultancy sessions with Vail Williams because we didn’t know how many businesses would come forward.

Many still haven’t, and we urge them to.

Retailers write: “We want, and expect to pay no business rates. WBC gave Boots, Clarks, John Wood Sports and Strange The Jewellers 50% off their business rates when scaffolding was put up three years ago … We should have had relief from when the work started to completion”.

We have no powers allowing businesses to avoid Business Rates, because these are a national tax controlled by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

But we have written to Wokingham MP John Redwood, on behalf of our local businesses, asking him to speed up the national process.

The discount for the companies you name was a reduction through the national relief scheme supported by Vail Williams.

You have offered to pay for the services of Vail Williams in dealing with the Valuation Office, which is a long, and complicated process. What you fail to say is that we have to give them 25% of the money they save us.

This support is free to businesses to give them the knowledge and tools to make their own discount claims.

But if businesses choose to appoint Vail Williams or another third party to make the claim on their behalf, this is a matter between the individual business and the company concerned.

The council isn’t involved and therefore cannot comment on the costs that a company charges for its services.

Has Wokingham Borough Council fulfilled its obligations to the Localism Act?

Absolutely, and some.

The council’s Localism Act 2011 obligations (Part 4 non-domestic rates) are met through the Section 47 Business Rates Relief scheme.

We have gone above our statutory obligations and introduced additional support such as the advice from Vail Williams and marketing schemes mentioned above.