25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
Does anybody else want to comment on that point at all? No. Okay. Thank you. This is playing on my mind a little bit. A couple of times, Llŷr, you have talked about this not being a perfect system, and nobody is suggesting that it is at the moment. But I…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
Thank you, Morgan. I'm not sure if anyone else wants to comment any further on that point. No. Okay. And then—I think that this is just to you, Llŷr—the evidence that the FSB provided to us as a committee commented that 'more regular valuations should not…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
Morgan, do you want to comment at all about that move from five years to three years and getting that balance right between stability and fairness?
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
Perhaps before others come in, could I just probe that a bit further, Llŷr? You're absolutely right; I understand that attaining more fairness is the right thing, but there also has to be a level of stability, I guess, doesn't there? I guess there must be a…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 4
Thanks, Chair, and thank you, all, for joining this afternoon. We really appreciate your time. I'm just going to spend a bit of time, perhaps, just looking at one of the major pieces in this proposal, which is moving the revaluation cycle for business rates…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Thanks, Chair. I guess, on the provisions front, we get nervous sometimes about allowing that provision to Welsh Ministers, because I guess they could use it, couldn’t they, at their discretion. Thanks, Chair.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Okay, thank you. Sorry, Chair, Susan wants to come in.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Thanks, Chair. With the potential of multipliers being in there, would you anticipate a risk of increased avoidance? So, potentially, if I had a business that looked like one thing, but there was a lower rate if my business looked like another thing, I could…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Absolutely. Okay. Anybody else want to comment? No? Okay. Thanks, Chair.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Of course, the Welsh Government have made an estimate as to how much it would cost. I think that's based on a return of six local authorities out of the 22, in terms of the survey. So, I just wonder how confident you would be that the Welsh Government have a…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Going back to the point around the pressures on you as local government, which may require that larger capacity, could you perhaps give us a flavour of the types of discussions that you have been having with Welsh Government in terms of additional funding to…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Yes, okay. Obviously, those questions would be for them. I was just trying to get ourselves warmed up for the next session as well. Perhaps one final question, Chair—is that okay?
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
I think that you mentioned, obviously, the impact on ratepayers. We have representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses and others coming in after you. What sorts of things do you think that they might say to this, and what might their concerns be…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
The Bill we're considering looks to give Welsh Ministers powers to amend regulations in future to enable shorter revaluation cycles. I just wonder how you think that may impact on the ratepayers you support.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Yes. Okay. Thanks. And then, perhaps, if I may just go a little bit further, Chair.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
I don't know whether it's something for council members to consider as well, but just that point, generally, where, because the letters come from the local authority collecting the cash, it's councils and councillors who are assumed to be setting that rate…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
And do you think there's more that could be done, perhaps, with the VOA or some body to help communicate that message before those bills do land, because I always find it's a slightly strange thing that the councils often get it in the neck for non-domestic…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Yes. Anybody else want to comment on that at all?
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
That's a really good point, and we were able to have the VOA with us earlier, as a committee, today, and it was exactly the types of points that Robin was raising there. Just going back to, perhaps, the point Matthew raised around acknowledging that there's…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Okay. Thank you. And Robin's got his hand up as well.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
I don't know if anybody else wants to comment at all. Susan.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 3
Thank you, Chair, and good morning, everybody, and thank you for taking the time to be with us here today. I'm just interested in—the capacity within local authorities at the moment is very stretched, I guess, and the particular financial context that you're…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 2
That's fine. Thank you very much. Chair, I think I'm fine now.
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 2
I guess what we're trying to understand is the level of confidence that we could have that you'll be geared up to handle those potential increases. You said at the start that you recognise that you're going to have to increase your staffing to react to this…
25 Ionawr 2024 , Local Government and Housing Committee
Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) – Sesiwn dystiolaeth 2
Perhaps you could give us a bit more flavour as to what it is you expect with the way things are currently proposed.
