POLITICIANS UNITE IN BID TO FIGHT BUSINESS RATE BILL
The Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Councillor Andrew De Freitas and Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell will meet with a Government minister on Monday – seeking assurances that port operators won’t face a £20-million business rate bill.
John Healey, Minister for Communities and Local Government in Westminster, will hear representations as the authority vows not to chase any money owed until a review has been heard.
The Prime Minister was told on Wednesday how thousands of jobs are at risk if these bills remain, as businesses struggle to stay afloat, a finding backed up by a cabinet report.
Grimsby and Immingham is the biggest port in the UK, and NELC is tasked with collecting business rates on behalf of central government.
With bills backdated to April 1, 2005 by the Valuation Office Agency, they would total more than £20-million for Grimsby and Immingham firms alone. NELC’s cabinet has agreed to defer any recovery action until the outcome of the review, while actively supporting regional and national campaigns.
Councillor De Freitas said: “This situation is due to the Valuation Office’s inactivity since 2000 when they should have started this exercise, and their lack of appreciation of the impact of backdating.
“The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has the power to intervene and we have joined with other authorities in asking for action before businesses go under.”
Looking ahead to the meeting with Mr. Healey, Councillor De Freitas said: “We will put the pressure on. We will state the local case and the importance of the ports to our local economy. It is bad enough having potential redundancies in the food processing industry. If on top of that we get businesses consulting with employees on the ports complex locally as a result of this then it would be a very, very serious situation for us all.”
And of the powers within the authority’s boundary, he said: “We will do what is necessary to help businesses in the area. We are not going to go hell for leather threatening to take people to court unless they pay. We will do whatever is legally possible to help companies slow down the payments.”
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