Changes to Business Rates

Following the recent review by the Valuation Office Agency, it is anticipated that the new rating list for non domestic properties will come into action from 1 April. Having examined the list in detail for the sports landscape, our own properties and sports lottery funded projects; Sport England has concerns that the new rateable values (RVs) show significant increases for community sports clubs.

We have raised this issue with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Ben Bradshaw, outlining our concerns relating to these proposals.  In the short-term we believe there are serious implications for the economic viability of local clubs and their ability to continue to operate under an increased financial burden. Looking at the longer-term the increase in business rates could, in effect, be a form of tax on Lottery funding, thus preventing many clubs and groups from applying to our funding streams in the future.

We hope to meet with the Secretary of State over the coming weeks to discuss these issues, with the ambition of finding a solution to limit the impact upon sports clubs. We will keep Sports Policy News informed of further developments.