The Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention) Regulations 2013

Costs of collection and recovery E+W

2.—(1) A billing authority's allowance for costs of collection and recovery are to be calculated in accordance with the formula—

Where—

G is the number of hereditaments shown in the billing authority's local non-domestic rating list on 30th September in the preceding year, multiplied by the cost factor for the billing authority;

H is the total of G for all billing authorities;

J is 76 per cent of the amount allowed for the costs of collection and recovery;

K is the total of the rateable values shown in the billing authority's local non-domestic rating list on 30th September in the preceding year, multiplied by the cost factor for the billing authority;

L is the total of K for all authorities;

M is 24 per cent of the amount allowed for the costs of collection and recovery;

N is the total amount of the legal costs of the billing authority referred to in sub-paragraph (5) below.

(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1), where the year to which the relevant calculation relates is a year in which local non-domestic rating lists are compiled under section 41(1) of the 1988 Act, the hereditaments shown in an authority's local non-domestic rating list, and the rateable value of those hereditaments, shall be taken to be the hereditaments, and the rateable values, shown in the list which the valuation officer for the authority proposes to compile in that year and which has been sent to the authority under section 41(5) of the 1988 Act.

(3) The cost factor for a billing authority is the cost factor shown for that authority in Part 2 of this Schedule.

(4) The amount allowed for the costs of collection and recovery is £84,000,000.

(5) The legal costs referred to in this paragraph are the reasonable costs of another party to proceedings brought or defended by the billing authority and paid in the preceding year where the following conditions are satisfied—

(a) the proceedings were brought or defended by the authority to clarify the law as respects liability for, or the authority's powers to enforce, non-domestic rates;

(b) before bringing or defending proceedings the authority obtained advice in writing by counsel—

(i) that the point of law concerned had not already been determined in previous proceedings; and

(ii) that a decision by the authority to bring or defend the proceedings, or to continue to do so, would be a reasonable decision; and

(c) the authority lost on that point of law and costs were awarded against the authority, or the authority withdrew from the proceedings as respects that point on the advice of counsel and payment by the authority of the other party's reasonable costs was made by that party a condition of consenting to withdrawal.

(6) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (5)—

(a) references to proceedings are to proceedings in a court of law including the Upper Tribunal;

(b) any appeal from a decision of a court shall be regarded as separate proceedings.