Promoting and enhancing best practice and technical expertise

Rating Question Time 2020

We have a panel of leading practitioners to answer questions from the audience on a number of topical rating issues. This event will be followed by drinks and canapés to give time for valuable networking.

Start Date Venue Price  
16 January 2020 Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, London    

Note: All prices are to be paid in GBP and are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate

Event duration: Evening Event (2 hours 30 mins CPD).
Registration from: 16.00. Event starts at: 16.30. Event finishes at: 18.30. Drinks Reception until 20.00.

We would like to thank Herbert Smith Freehills LLP for the use of their facilities.

      

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The Question Time will be chaired by Paul Sanderson, where members of the audience are invited to contribute comments and join in discussions. The evening provides an excellent up to date synopsis on current rating issues and culminates with a drink and canapé reception to allow informal debates and networking. 

Speakers

Programme

Questions and topics that will be covered include:

  • There is a new Government. What are their rating policy priorities? 
  • Does the GPCR approach to coordination work and if so where and what lessons need to be learnt and changed to make it work?
  • With 2021 Revaluation now only 15 months away, what do practitioners need to do to be prepared?
  • There are continued calls for a fall in the multiplier and some suggest this should be funded by the introduction of a sales tax based on a percentage of turnover. Is this a practicable solution and if not why not?
  • CVA Rents
  • A recent VOA statistic says 100,740 checks have now been made by small businesses from the current list. Is the market now waking up to making appeals?
  • English councils are due to receive £25bn from business rates this year. It is estimated that there will be £1.1bn losses from successful appeals. A 4% loss may be small, but it is not spread evenly. Just as there are winners and losers with changes to RV and payments on ratepayers, there will be some local authorities that will suffer a greater burden of loss of rates income. How will local government manage, and will Government step in to assist them?
  • The draft UT Practice Directions have been circulated for consultation. What is the purpose of the consultation and is anything in the draft likely to be changed?
  • How does the UT want the conduct and practices of parties, their professional advisers and expert witnesses to alter as a result of the new Practice Directions?  
  • The draft UT Practice Directions are proposing to prohibit success related fees for expert witnesses. What are the proposals, and what are the views of the panel?
  • When are the new Practice Directions likely to go live?
  • These PDs are for the UT. Will there be an expectation or actual adoption of the directions for Valuation Tribunal cases?
  • 28 days for the submission of a full statement of case is short for parties who did not have Counsel involved in the VT case. Is this an impossible deadline to impose?