Westminster's Rating Advisory Panel convened on Tuesday to discuss applications for Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) discretionary and hardship relief, a measure that allows local authorities to reduce the amount of tax a business has to pay. These applications were later discussed in private due to the commercially sensitive information they contained.
The panel, which included Councillor Robert Eagleton (Deputy Cabinet Member - Housing), Councillor Patricia McAllister (Deputy Cabinet Member - Public and Mental Health), Councillor Patrick Lilley (Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Lead Member for Soho and LGBTQ+ Champion), Councillor Selina Short, Councillor Martin Hayes, and Councillor Concia Albert, also addressed other procedural items.
According to the agenda in the Public reports pack, the meeting began with noting any changes to the membership and receiving declarations of interest from councillors and officers.
An item on the agenda also recommended excluding the public and press from the meeting during the discussion of certain items, citing Section 100 (A) (4) and Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. These 'certain items' related to the NNDR Discretionary and Hardship Relief Applications. The report pack stated that it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information
. The justification for excluding the public and press is that these items involve the likely disclosure of exempt information
.
