Leaders call for delay in business rate payments

摘要

Councils should delay business rates payments earmarked for Whitehall this month, to help ease them through the Icelandic banking crisis, local government leaders have warned. The LGA, supported by authorities with bank deposits frozen in defunct Icelandic accounts, were due to put the proposal to Treasury and local government ministers at a crisis meeting in Whitehall on 15 October. LGA officials want ministers to allow troubled councils to retain, for a short period, business rates payments due to be paid to the Government on 20 October. Some councils are reportedly facing immediate problems covering services and wages, although the LGA said no council had yet reported problems.