Councils that fail to pay cash they owe to small businesses will be named and shamed under plans set out by ministers
Local Government minister Marcus Jones blasted the vast majority of councils who have failed to distribute their share of the £300 million fund
COUNCILS failing to pass on cash to help small businesses are to be named and shamed.
Local Government minister Marcus Jones blasted the vast majority of councils who have failed to distribute their share of the £300 million fund to help hard-pressed businesses cope with the higher business rates bills following this year’s rents revaluation.
He said that despite “various examples of good practice, the pace of providing relief to ratepayers has not been acceptable”.
Mr Jones announced a new government crackdown that will expose those councils that have not fully implemented new schemes for paying out the relief.
From next month the Government will publish a list of authorities that have re-billed small businesses the money they are owed.
In a Commons statement yesterday Mr Jones praised Westminster borough, Leeds City Council, South Norfolk and Rutland for being among a minority of councils that have implemented relief schemes.
The government crackdown comes after it emerged last month that in five months, just two of 99 town halls had paid out money from the Chancellor’s £300 million business rate relief.
Local authorities blamed the delays on software upgrades needed to allocate funds. The delays meant just £200,000 of the £300 million fund to help small businesses cope with the revaluation had gone to small firms.
