All applications to become a 100 per cent business rates retention pilot in 2018/19 were assessed under the criteria laid out in the \u2018Invitation to Local Authorities in England to pilot 100% Business Rates Retention in 2018/19 and to pioneer new pooling and tier-split models\u2019, published on 1 September 2017:<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/654936/Pilots_1819_Prospectus.pdf<\/a><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4483", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rishi Sunak"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond (Yorks)"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rishi Sunak"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-02-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-02-01T15:22:18.98Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Housing, Communities and Local Government"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-01-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Non-domestic Rates"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which criteria were used to determine the allocation of the latest round of business rates retention pilots.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1506", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Gwynne"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Denton and Reddish"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Gwynne"}
], "uin" : "125346"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/810192", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/810192/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Valuations for the purposes of rating are carried out independently by the Valuation Office Agency. The majority of ratepayers have seen no change or a fall in their bills. However, for those facing increases as a result of the 2017 revaluation we have provided a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme.<\/p> At the 2016 Budget, the Chancellor announced the biggest ever cut in business rates \u2013 worth nearly £9 billion across the next five years, taking 600,000 small businesses out of paying rates. In the Spring 2017 Budget, we announced £435 million support to businesses seeing increases in rates bills. In the Autumn 2017 Budget, the Chancellor announced that he will bring forward the switch of the annual indexation of business rates from RPI to the CPI by two years, which is worth £4.1 billion by 2023.<\/p> The Government is committed to supporting small and medium size businesses on our high streets. Since 2010, we have given over £18 million to struggling town centres through the High Streets Innovation Fund and launched successful initiatives such as \u201cLove Your Local Market\u201d.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4483", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rishi Sunak"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Richmond (Yorks)"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rishi Sunak"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-01-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-01-15T17:10:47.247Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-12-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Non-domestic Rates"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the effect on high streets of changes to business rates.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1506", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Gwynne"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Denton and Reddish"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Gwynne"}
], "uin" : "120658"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/776011", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/776011/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The information referenced in my previous answer was first published on 13 October 2017 and was based on information provided by local authorities. It has been amended and is updated on a regular basis as authorities advise us that they have begun to rebill for each of the relief schemes. It was last updated on 23 October and is available at the following link:<\/p>