The end of the Valuation Office Agency’s supposed neutrality?

As part of the forthcoming Enterprise Bill and the Government’s pledge to reform the Rating system, it has been announced that the law will be amended to permit the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to share information with Local Councils.

This is being promoted as an administrative simplification under the “tell us once” policy. Obviously, that immediate benefit cannot be denied. However, it must be remembered that Local Councils used to do the valuations for Rating, as well as administer the charging process, until the middle of the last century. The Government of that day separated the processes, making the VOA responsible for the valuation aspect, with the rationale being fairness and impartiality.

Times have changed somewhat, with Councils now under pressure and actively incentivised to increase the aggregate Rateable Value within their boundaries. Likewise, from the VOA position, the duty to maintain a fair Rating List seems to take a subservient role to “defence of the List”.

It is therefore with some trepidation on behalf of ratepayers that we see these two powerful common interests coming together. Will we see yet more debacles like the ATM situation? This arose from Councils hiring consultants to identify gaps in the Rating List. We now see the prospect that the VOA may be sharing information which will alert Councils to other deficiencies in the List.