Westminster Council's Rating Advisory Panel has decided to discuss applications for Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) Discretionary and Hardship Relief in private, citing the need to protect exempt information as defined under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
The decision was made at the panel's meeting on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, where members agreed to exclude the public and press from a portion of the meeting. The reason given was that the discussion of the NNDR Discretionary and Hardship Relief applications would likely involve the disclosure of information that falls under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. While the specific types of information considered exempt are not detailed, the Public Reports Pack indicates that applications from pages 3-258 are all marked as such.
The agenda for the meeting included a recommendation to exclude the public and press, stating that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information
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The Public Reports Pack for the meeting contained numerous applications for relief, which were to be discussed in private.
NNDR, also known as business rates, are a tax on commercial properties. Discretionary relief is a reduction in business rates that a local authority can choose to grant, while hardship relief is for businesses facing financial difficulty.
The members of the committee are Councillor Concia Albert, Councillor Robert Eagleton, Deputy Cabinet Member - Housing, Councillor Patrick Lilley, Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Lead Member for Soho and LGBTQ+ Champion, Councillor Selina Short, and Councillor Martin Hayes.
