, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
So, we're discussing what might be possible.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
But that would come through the—. So, that wouldn't be on the face of the Bill, that would be what would come later.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
I'll ask Ben to reflect on how the secondary legislation could be used in that space, but I think one of the contributions in the debate that was really powerful yesterday was from Luke Fletcher, and he was asking about the multiplier and what we could do…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
And we want to make the system as straightforward as possible and as easy to use for businesses as well. So, I know the VOA will be keen to find the right way to make a system that is easy to use. We want to create minimal burden, really, for businesses in…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
In the local government committee this morning, or earlier this morning, we had a good discussion about the requirements that already exist on businesses, and how what we're trying to do at the moment is just improve the system, rather than put any new…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
We think that the cost of compliance is very modest on an annual basis, and also in terms of that individual ratepayer level. And it does relate to the time that it would take for the initial familiarisation with the new system and then that annual engagement…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Revaluations will result in those altered liabilities for ratepayers, with local authorities being required to update their billing systems to implement a new ratings list. But local authorities are already required to undertake the billing activity on an…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
As I say, I think the three-yearly revaluations do provide that balance that ratepayers tell us that they want as well, in terms of the certainty and the up-to-date reflection of the circumstances. The change in itself won't create any additional costs for…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
—in terms of moving to the more regular revaluations. The VOA will be delivering the revaluations for both England and Wales, and that's part of a joint programme, so that will allow us to benefit from those economies of scale and the administrative…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
I should just add at the start that the increase in costs of around £6.3 million, which you described, is over 10 years, so just to be clear on that—
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes, the response has been positive. I think they see the benefits, really, in terms of the things that we're trying to achieve. When you think about the work that we're doing to move properties more quickly back onto the ratings list if they've been off…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
And I've met with local government leaders, local government finance leads, on a number of occasions as we've moved on this local government finance reform journey, and also had discussions through the finance sub-group as well. So I feel that we're engaging…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes, I am satisfied. I know that the VOA gave evidence to the Local Government and Housing Committee very recently, and in their evidence they were also satisfied with our assessments of the costs in the RIA as well. Engagement has gone far beyond the…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
—a fellow, in fact—to help us with this work as well, and to kind of help us at this point grapple with the questions that we need to answer to go further down this road.
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes, I do. I might ask Simon or Ben to reflect on that. But I would just add as well that the work that Bangor University did for us was really useful in terms of setting out what the next steps might look like. And then we're also looking to engage with a…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
I would say the Bill contributes to the reform of non-domestic rates and council tax, but it's certainly not the whole story. You'll be familiar with our phase 2 consultation, which closed yesterday. So, we'll be considering the responses to that consultation…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes, exactly, because at the moment, actually, we don't have, in many cases, the power to do various things. I think it's 11 different occasions we've relied on the UK Government to make changes through its legislation that we deemed to be necessary here in…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
And on the council tax side, it's worth mentioning as well that we've got a working group looking at the 53 different exemptions, and so on, that we have at the moment. So, they'll be making recommendations as to whether any of those are changed or removed…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Because impact assessments are so important for secondary legislation, I think that that will be an important point at which you can set out in greater detail the impacts. I suppose it is difficult at the moment. Take multipliers, for example. The Bill will…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
We're not able to provide that detail at the moment, because the proposals for how the secondary legislation would be used, and the kind of reliefs, for example, which would be potentially introduced in future haven't been set out. But that said, of course…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
I suppose another really key part of the Bill is enabling Ministers to alter the reliefs, exemptions, discounts and premiums in the future as well, and I think that's a really core part of the Bill. There are other aspects as well, which are smaller. The…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
The Bill contributes to that wider programme of reform. It's not the entire reform on its own, but it's part of our work in terms of making local government finance more modern and bringing it all up to date. But the provisions in the Bill itself are really…
, Finance Committee
Financial Implications of the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill: Evidence session
Yes. Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government. And I'll ask officials to introduce themselves.
