Business Rate Supplements Bill

The Minister said that the idea of empty property relief was to get owners of properties to re-let the properties rather than let them stand empty. Surely she would acknowledge that in the present economic climate that is not an option. The idea that it is not applicable for businesses with a rateable value of over £50,000 does not stand if the test is the ability to re-let. I am sure the owner of Lingfield Point in Darlington would love to have no empty properties whatever within his facility, but he just cannot help it. These businesses are stopping trading or going into receivership and therefore the rules designed in 2007 simply do not apply in the current environment, nor probably for the foreseeable future.