OK, after a bottle of red and an off subject thought? Might this work for some of your local publicans for business rates? Extract from the budget:
4.9 Property tax
High streets – High streets and town centres are crucial parts of communities and local economies, but the government recognises the challenges they face from changing consumer behaviour and is taking action to help them to evolve. High street businesses are already benefitting from recent reforms and reductions to business rates announced since Budget 2016 worth more than £12 billion over the next five years.61 In the Budget the government is going further through Our Plan for the High Street. To provide upfront support through the business rates system, the government is cutting bills by one-third for retail properties with a rateable value below £51,000, benefiting up to 90% of retail properties, for 2 years from April 2019, subject to state aid limits.62(44)
In the longer term, to support a sustainable transformation of high streets, the Plan includes a £675 million Future High Streets Fund, planning reform, a High Streets Task Force to support local leadership, and funding to strengthen community assets, including the restoration of historic buildings on high streets.
Business rates public lavatories relief – The government will introduce 100% business rates relief for all public lavatories to help keep these important local amenities open.
So does this exclude the Pis pot in the local pub, which is in general not reduced rates , or are they allowed to apply for the exemption?
If for an example, if it is a golf club and membership is paid, then it would be a private convenience.
But for a pub, it would be a public convenience!
Is it a case of local council exemption and not local business allowance?
Something to think about, bet weather spoons and so on might look into it.
Slag me as you want, got used to it. Just getting too old for this game.
Replies (4)
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You mean as a member of the public I can enter private property in order to use their toilet?
Don’t think so. The establishment might voluntarily join the ‘Local Loo Scheme’ but that is a different matter.
Apparently the relief applies to standalone premises only, by which I think they mean that a toilet is the only service being provided.
3.35 Business rates public lavatories relief – The government will introduce 100% business
rates relief for all public lavatories to help keep these important local amenities open. (47)
So no to any pub or restaurant loo then.
Depends on eventual FA wording though.
I thought pubs were assessed re RV based not on accommodation as such but on "fair maintainable trade"- in effect expected turnover.
https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates/pubs-and-licensed-trade
Accordingly not convinced splitting out the toilets will make any difference to the RV and of course a pub must have x toilets based on its agreed licensing occupancy to be able to operate. (well certainly up here with x cubicles and y urinals calculated by the agreed occupancy re the operating plan)
The pub where I began my alcohol consuming days most definitely had standalone toilets - and they were a very good moderating influence on consumption, since you had to go and sit on a very cold seat in an outhouse in the car park!!