Views sought on how local rates relief is awarded

Views are being sought on how rates relief should be awarded for unoccupied non-domestic properties in Orkney.

Feedback from local ratepayers and other interested parties will be used to help shape the Council’s rate relief policy moving forward.

William Moore, Service Manager – Revenues & Benefits at OIC, explained: “The non-domestic rate is payable on all properties which are not domestic in nature.

“There is at present a national scheme of rates relief to reduce the rates payable where a property is unoccupied, i.e. not in active use, but from April 2023, Councils have responsibility for setting their own rate relief policies.

“That is why we are consulting with local ratepayers and other interested parties to get their views on how rates relief should be awarded for unoccupied non-domestic properties in Orkney.”

Under the existing arrangements, any reduction in the rates payable for unoccupied properties is fully funded through a national arrangement but from April the Council will be allocated a fixed amount to award relief under its local policy.

Mr Moore said: “This means that the amount of relief available to local ratepayers where a property is empty could be capped to ensure that the overall relief awarded does not exceed the amount provided by the Scottish Government. The cost of any excess relief awarded would need to be met by local Council Tax payers.

The Council would like to hear your views on the following questions:

• Do you agree that the aim of the Council policy should be to encourage bringing empty properties back into use – if not, why not?
• Should the policy have other aims?
• Should the Council retain the existing reliefs and exemptions within its local policy?
• Should the rates of relief available be the same for all property types, or should relief be targeted at specific sectors or localities? Why?
• Are there any other reliefs or exemptions that you think would help to bring about the aims of the policy, i.e. bringing unoccupied properties back in to use?

The consultation will be open until the start of February - please complete the survey online.

Your feedback will be used to inform elected members ahead of future decision-making around the policy, due to be discussed at next month’s Policy and Resources Committee meeting.