, Local Government and Housing Committee
Papers to note
Okay, we have one paper to note, item 3, today, and that is a letter from the Minister for Climate Change to the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee in relation to provisions in the UK Government's Renters (Reform) Bill and the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay. Well, thank you very much, Minister, and thank you to your officials as well for coming in to give evidence to the committee this morning. You will be sent a transcript to check for factual accuracy in the usual way. Diolch yn fawr.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Or, indeed, publication in local newspapers.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'm sure you're aware, Minister, that there is concern amongst local newspapers and those that run local newspapers that the removal of the requirement to publish notices changes in local newspapers with regard to council tax will obviously result in…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay, Mabon. Diolch yn fawr. If we could move to the publication of notices, Minister, I'd like to ask to what extent you're satisfied that the reach of these notices, the accessibility issues, will not be adversely affected by the proposed changes, and for…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay, Joel? Thank you for that. Mabon ap Gwynfor. Mabon.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay, thank you very much. Joel.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Joel, just before you go on, could I just ask about the reference point, though, because that's a very significant part of the system, isn't it? So, with the changes that will be enabled by this legislation, if it proceeds as planned, will it also reference…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, please.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay. Let us move on, then, to council tax, and Joel James. Joel.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, would there be a clear explanation, then, of what would constitute a change that would affect liability?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
And what guidance and support will be available to ratepayers to enable them to, or put them in a better position to, comply with the new duties? And would that include explanations of what would constitute a change that might affect liability regarding…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Could I ask you about civil penalties for failure to meet the duties? What would be the bar for determining whether those civil penalties on ratepayers should come into play? Will the Welsh Government monitor and assess how the Valuation Office Agency…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Could we move to the information that ratepayers will have to provide to the Valuation Office Agency? There are two new duties, aren't there, to provide information and to update information annually. But the explanatory memorandum states that, although there…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, because I think there were some concerns around the flexibility that would result to the Welsh Government. But you don't think those concerns are particularly problematic in the way that it would actually operate in practice.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I see. So, it would depend on the Government of the day, really, as to whether there was that revenue-neutral position in the use of that.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Just in terms of the explanatory memorandum and what it says about tiered multipliers and the way they currently act in a revenue-neutral manner, so you have a lower multiplier for some hereditaments being subsidised by higher rate for others, is that what…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, please, Sam.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Diolch yn fawr. Jayne Bryant.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
If we just get back, briefly, to capacity issues, Minister, in relation to this particular aspect of completion notices, in the explanatory memorandum it said that this particular provision will result in modest additional administrative costs for local…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay, Carolyn. If I could just ask about completion notices and whether you could expand, Minister, on how the current system works in relation to properties that are temporarily removed from the rating list and how the proposed changes will resolve those…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
If you could, Carolyn, please, yes.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Okay. Thank you, Sam. Carolyn Thomas.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, please, Sam.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence from the Minister for Finance and Local Government
No. Okay, I think we understand broadly the issues involved in that calculation. Sam Rowlands. Sam.
