This document provides guidance on successfully negotiating business rates for museums in England. It discusses the history and basics of the business rates system, including how rateable values are calculated through different valuation methods like receipts and expenditure or contractors method. For museums, the receipts and expenditure method is often argued to be most appropriate since museums operate similarly to other leisure attractions competing for visitors. However, the Valuation Office typically prefers a percentage of gross receipts instead. The document provides case studies of museums that successfully appealed their rateable values downwards by arguing the receipts and expenditure method. It emphasizes the importance of qualified professionals handling appeals to minimize museums' rate liabilities.
Smarter Working provides approaches to improve productivity through working practices, technology, premises, time and travel management. It is available to small and medium enterprises in the West Midlands region. The program offers free building surveys and process surveys to identify ways organizations can improve energy efficiency and save costs, typically providing two days of assistance to implement recommendations.
This document is an event and training diary listing various upcoming events from June to December 2013 related to museums, including workshops on fundraising, collection care, governance, retail, and visitor experience. The diary provides details on dates, locations, and descriptions for over 25 events, with topics like 3D printing demonstrations, preventing collection damage, working with businesses and individuals for fundraising, and improving shops and merchandising. Contact information and websites are provided for most events to allow sign-ups and further information.
AIM Visitor Verdict is a free benchmarking service provided by AIM and BDRC Continental to help up to 150 independent museums improve their visitor experience. Through an online survey system, museums can anonymously benchmark their visitor ratings and feedback against peers. This helps prioritize areas for improvement, inform strategies and funding bids, and raise sector standards by sharing best practices. Participating museums will receive guidance on survey administration, access to their results online, and attend a shared learning event to discuss insights.
The Cmo Survey Highlights And Insights, February 2010pyrographic
Ā
This document provides an overview and summary of the results from the February 2010 CMO Survey. It discusses topics such as marketplace dynamics, firm growth strategies, marketing spending, marketing performance, marketing excellence, and the marketing organization. Some key findings include that marketer optimism about the economy and their own firms continues to increase. Marketing budgets and spending on areas like the internet, branding, and customer relationship management are also expected to rise. Goals for financial metrics like sales, profits, and customer acquisition in the next 12 months are up as well.
This document discusses alternative property investment sectors that are benefiting from investment as traditional opportunities become scarce. It focuses on several sectors including car parking, educational premises, and STOR (short term operating reserve) generation.
Car parking sectors provide middle ground investments that require less management than other trading sectors but still understanding location, competition and costs is important. Educational premises present valuation challenges due to limited transactions and individual characteristics, but demand is growing.
STOR generation involves selling reserve electricity services to the National Grid to balance supply and demand on the grid. Schemes like Enhanced Frequency Response and Short Term Operating Reserve pay generators to provide backup power. Capacity Market contracts also offer secure long term revenue to generators that are available when
This document summarizes a guest lecture on valuation methodology in appraisal practice given at USC Marshall School of Business. It discusses the three main approaches used in appraisals: 1) cost approach, which values property based on construction costs, 2) sales comparison approach, which compares the subject property to similar properties that have recently sold, and 3) income approach, specifically discounted cash flow analysis, which values a property based on its income-generating potential. It also covers who typically hires appraisers and for what purposes, such as lenders for loan underwriting or companies for purchase accounting. Real property interests like fee simple ownership, leased fees, and leaseholds are also defined and the appropriate valuation methods discussed.
Smarter Working provides approaches to improve productivity through working practices, technology, premises, time and travel management. It is available to small and medium enterprises in the West Midlands region. The program offers free building surveys and process surveys to identify ways organizations can improve energy efficiency and save costs, typically providing two days of assistance to implement recommendations.
This document is an event and training diary listing various upcoming events from June to December 2013 related to museums, including workshops on fundraising, collection care, governance, retail, and visitor experience. The diary provides details on dates, locations, and descriptions for over 25 events, with topics like 3D printing demonstrations, preventing collection damage, working with businesses and individuals for fundraising, and improving shops and merchandising. Contact information and websites are provided for most events to allow sign-ups and further information.
AIM Visitor Verdict is a free benchmarking service provided by AIM and BDRC Continental to help up to 150 independent museums improve their visitor experience. Through an online survey system, museums can anonymously benchmark their visitor ratings and feedback against peers. This helps prioritize areas for improvement, inform strategies and funding bids, and raise sector standards by sharing best practices. Participating museums will receive guidance on survey administration, access to their results online, and attend a shared learning event to discuss insights.
The Cmo Survey Highlights And Insights, February 2010pyrographic
Ā
This document provides an overview and summary of the results from the February 2010 CMO Survey. It discusses topics such as marketplace dynamics, firm growth strategies, marketing spending, marketing performance, marketing excellence, and the marketing organization. Some key findings include that marketer optimism about the economy and their own firms continues to increase. Marketing budgets and spending on areas like the internet, branding, and customer relationship management are also expected to rise. Goals for financial metrics like sales, profits, and customer acquisition in the next 12 months are up as well.
This document discusses alternative property investment sectors that are benefiting from investment as traditional opportunities become scarce. It focuses on several sectors including car parking, educational premises, and STOR (short term operating reserve) generation.
Car parking sectors provide middle ground investments that require less management than other trading sectors but still understanding location, competition and costs is important. Educational premises present valuation challenges due to limited transactions and individual characteristics, but demand is growing.
STOR generation involves selling reserve electricity services to the National Grid to balance supply and demand on the grid. Schemes like Enhanced Frequency Response and Short Term Operating Reserve pay generators to provide backup power. Capacity Market contracts also offer secure long term revenue to generators that are available when
This document summarizes a guest lecture on valuation methodology in appraisal practice given at USC Marshall School of Business. It discusses the three main approaches used in appraisals: 1) cost approach, which values property based on construction costs, 2) sales comparison approach, which compares the subject property to similar properties that have recently sold, and 3) income approach, specifically discounted cash flow analysis, which values a property based on its income-generating potential. It also covers who typically hires appraisers and for what purposes, such as lenders for loan underwriting or companies for purchase accounting. Real property interests like fee simple ownership, leased fees, and leaseholds are also defined and the appropriate valuation methods discussed.
The document provides an executive summary of an international evidence review on local taxation systems conducted for the Commission on Local Tax Reform in Scotland. Key findings of the review include:
1) Property taxes are widely used internationally but other local taxes like income taxes are also common, unlike the UK's sole reliance on council tax.
2) Property tax designs vary greatly and reforms often aim to address fairness, revenue needs, or simplification.
3) Successful reforms phase changes gradually, address liquidity issues, and improve services alongside tax changes to boost public support.
4) The council tax system in the UK has design flaws and its problems could have been foreseen based on international evidence on challenges with property tax reforms.
Mercer & Hole Property Plus - January 2015TIAG_Alliance
Ā
Published by Mercer & Hole - TIAG Member in London, England
These articles give an overview of some of the property issues that we are typically dealing with. These range from commercial property investment, to families buying property for their children to occupy, a second home investment, maybe a buy to let or a wealthy non UK domiciled individual acquiring a home or investment in the UK.
02: Buying property for children
03: Capital allowances in commercial property
04: Commercial property investment
05: VAT on student accommodation: 1 April 2015 changes
06: Non UK domiciliaries owning UK property
07: UK residential property ā buy to let 08: Residential service charge accounts
English prestige - commercial leasing tenant & landlord representationEnglish Prestige
Ā
English Prestige integrated online to offline (O2O) transactional model and positioning as one stop shop for entire home services model brings exhaustive supply, demand and distribution together to tap the highly fragmented brokerage market.
The document analyzes 10 potential investment properties in and around Liverpool for profitability. It summarizes that after analysis, only 5 properties will provide a profit, with 4 being good investments. These include 1 residential property providing Ā£35,846 profit and 3 office properties providing a combined Ā£235,000 profit over 20 years. The analysis factors in risks and finds that the profits remain sufficient even after sensitivity testing changes to variables.
The dividend discount model (DDM) is commonly used to value stocks. It calculates a stock's intrinsic value based on expected future dividends, discounted back to the present. The DDM has advantages like simplicity and relying on theoretical foundations, but it also has disadvantages like not accounting for intangible assets and being dependent on assumptions about stable dividend growth rates. Whether the DDM or multiples approach is more accurate depends on the specific company and analysts must consider various valuation techniques and compare to industry averages to determine if a stock is undervalued, overvalued, or fairly valued.
001 Essay Example Comparison Compare An. Online assignment writing service.Tiffany Graham
Ā
The document discusses fashion trends from the 1920s. It notes that in the early 1920s, women's day dresses were short and loose fitting, becoming longer around the knees in 1925. The waistline was below the natural waist. Hems rose throughout the decade as skirts became shorter. Hairstyles evolved from long curls to bob cuts. Makeup became popular and accessible to more women through new cosmetics companies.
Financial performance management of a retail property requires tracking key benchmarks to optimize the property's performance for landlords and tenants. These benchmarks include tenants' trade numbers, property outgoings, regional rental trends, vacancy rates, and changes in the local demographics. Careful monitoring of these financial factors can help identify issues early and ensure the property stays competitive through appropriate strategic decisions around tenant mix, outgoings, refurbishment, and rent levels.
Store First is a UK self-storage company that has acquired and developed 15 storage facilities. It aims to acquire and develop 50 facilities in the next 5 years. Store First offers storage units at significantly lower prices than competitors, around 32% cheaper on average, appealing to both individual and business customers. Investors can purchase long leases on storage pods and receive an 8% annual rental return guaranteed for the first two years through Store First's management of the facilities. The document provides analysis of the strong growth prospects of the UK self-storage market and Store First's competitive advantages in the industry.
For many corporate occupiers, commercial property constitutes one of their largest operational assets. With a desire to improve shareholder value and efficiency and to refocus on core business, the continued necessity to
retain such assets on the balance sheet is now under challenge. Changes in accountancy practice and a desire to maintain flexibility are, however making the choices ever more complicated.
This paper examines the current options available for corporate users seeking to extract value from their property assets.
The document discusses the need for transformation of commissioning and procurement processes in English local government. It outlines the current financial challenges and notes that local councils will need to reduce costs significantly while relying more on external organizations to deliver services. The transformation process should focus on five key themes: new service models, managing risk versus risk aversion, shaping markets, looking ahead not back, and improved contract management. Savings could be achieved through leveraging collective purchasing power across local councils and improving management of contracts once awarded.
The document discusses the need for transformation of commissioning and procurement processes in English local government. It outlines the current financial challenges and notes that local councils will need to reduce costs significantly while relying more on external organizations to deliver services. The transformation process should focus on five key themes: new service models, managing risk versus risk aversion, shaping markets, looking ahead not back, and improved contract management. Savings could be achieved through leveraging collective purchasing power across local councils and improving management of contracts once awarded.
Play Providers Conference- Rating- Are you paying too much? theppa
Ā
Rising rates bill? Worried you may be paying too much? Tony How, Director of surveyors Davis Brown, gives a run down of how the new bills have been calculated, and explains what action ratepayers can take if rates bills look excessive? Tony has been instrumental in securing rates reductions for leisure clients since 1995 and has successfully represented a number of play centre operators in appeals against the 2005 rating list.
This document discusses various approaches to investing in property, focusing on residential property investments. It outlines some of the key reasons why property investing has become popular, including the familiarity and comfort people have with property, and the ability to use leverage through mortgages. The document then examines different types of residential property investments including home ownership, which provides tax advantages but less liquidity, and buy-to-let properties, which generate rental income but involve management responsibilities. It analyzes some of the risks and benefits of each approach.
A cost segregation study allows commercial property owners to accelerate depreciation deductions and reduce taxes by separating building costs into components with different recovery periods. Properties over $1 million constructed after 1986 are good candidates. The study identifies costs like equipment and land improvements that can be depreciated over 5-7 years instead of 39 years for buildings. Studies have saved property owners an average $15 in taxes for every $1 spent on the study.
The document provides an overview of the educational components and opportunities for members of the UCREC (University of Chicago Real Estate Club) during the winter quarter of 2010. It includes details on finance basics sessions, REIT presentations, company presentations, mentoring programs, networking events, and scholarship opportunities. Accomplishments from the previous fall quarter are also summarized, including company presentations and panel discussions.
The document provides an overview of the educational components and opportunities for members of the UCREC (University of Chicago Real Estate Council) for Winter 2010. It includes information on finance basics, REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), company presentations, mentoring opportunities, and accomplishments from Fall 2009. Some key events mentioned are a presentation from Bank of America on February 1st and the hosting of a real estate case competition in 2011.
The document discusses the rationale for establishing a UK municipal bond agency. Key points include:
- The agency aims to lower borrowing costs for local councils by accessing funding at competitive rates from bond markets.
- No additional legislation is required, as councils have the necessary borrowing powers.
- 56 councils have signed up as initial shareholders, investing a total of Ā£6 million to launch the agency.
- The agency expects to break even within 3 years at a lending volume of Ā£2 billion, and will be run on a cost of around Ā£2 million per year.
- The agency will subject councils to a credit process and aims to offer rates competitive with the Public Works Loan Board.
This issue of the CBIZ CRE quarterly āhot topicsā newsletter provides guidance on minimizing your property taxes (āYes, COVID Will Likely Impact Your Property Taxes), discusses five stimulus provisions that affect commercial real estate and offers an in-depth discussion on how to manage the cost of risk in this hardening property insurance market by improving the quality of your data. Included in this issue are the usual additional resources ā links to on-demand webinars, COVID-19 resources and additional content and business aids. Residential property managers will find the Loss Control Checklist to be particularly useful in combating rising insurance costs.
The document discusses accounting for goodwill impairment under AASB 136 for Sahara Ltd, a company that recently adopted international accounting standards. It explains that goodwill impairment testing requires identifying the company's cash-generating units, determining their recoverable amounts, and comparing them to carrying amounts to identify any impairment loss. The document provides guidance on identifying cash-generating units, calculating recoverable amounts, recognizing impairment losses, and disclosing impairment testing methods and results.
The document summarizes key topics from a financial workshop, including basic accounting principles, investment fundamentals, and commercial real estate finance concepts. It covers accounting ledgers and financial statements, cash flow analysis, net operating income, investment characteristics, appraisal approaches, capitalization rates, and methods for determining investment value.
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is a historic park and garden located near Birmingham, England. The gardens feature a variety of plants and trees, as well as a lake and several follies built in the 18th century. Visitors can explore the gardens' beautiful landscape and historic buildings throughout the autumn months.
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is hosting events during the summer of 2015. A variety of activities are scheduled such as live music concerts on Sundays in July and August. Visitors can also enjoy the gardens, playground, and cafe throughout the summer months.
More Related Content
Similar to Success guide to negotiating business rates
The document provides an executive summary of an international evidence review on local taxation systems conducted for the Commission on Local Tax Reform in Scotland. Key findings of the review include:
1) Property taxes are widely used internationally but other local taxes like income taxes are also common, unlike the UK's sole reliance on council tax.
2) Property tax designs vary greatly and reforms often aim to address fairness, revenue needs, or simplification.
3) Successful reforms phase changes gradually, address liquidity issues, and improve services alongside tax changes to boost public support.
4) The council tax system in the UK has design flaws and its problems could have been foreseen based on international evidence on challenges with property tax reforms.
Mercer & Hole Property Plus - January 2015TIAG_Alliance
Ā
Published by Mercer & Hole - TIAG Member in London, England
These articles give an overview of some of the property issues that we are typically dealing with. These range from commercial property investment, to families buying property for their children to occupy, a second home investment, maybe a buy to let or a wealthy non UK domiciled individual acquiring a home or investment in the UK.
02: Buying property for children
03: Capital allowances in commercial property
04: Commercial property investment
05: VAT on student accommodation: 1 April 2015 changes
06: Non UK domiciliaries owning UK property
07: UK residential property ā buy to let 08: Residential service charge accounts
English prestige - commercial leasing tenant & landlord representationEnglish Prestige
Ā
English Prestige integrated online to offline (O2O) transactional model and positioning as one stop shop for entire home services model brings exhaustive supply, demand and distribution together to tap the highly fragmented brokerage market.
The document analyzes 10 potential investment properties in and around Liverpool for profitability. It summarizes that after analysis, only 5 properties will provide a profit, with 4 being good investments. These include 1 residential property providing Ā£35,846 profit and 3 office properties providing a combined Ā£235,000 profit over 20 years. The analysis factors in risks and finds that the profits remain sufficient even after sensitivity testing changes to variables.
The dividend discount model (DDM) is commonly used to value stocks. It calculates a stock's intrinsic value based on expected future dividends, discounted back to the present. The DDM has advantages like simplicity and relying on theoretical foundations, but it also has disadvantages like not accounting for intangible assets and being dependent on assumptions about stable dividend growth rates. Whether the DDM or multiples approach is more accurate depends on the specific company and analysts must consider various valuation techniques and compare to industry averages to determine if a stock is undervalued, overvalued, or fairly valued.
001 Essay Example Comparison Compare An. Online assignment writing service.Tiffany Graham
Ā
The document discusses fashion trends from the 1920s. It notes that in the early 1920s, women's day dresses were short and loose fitting, becoming longer around the knees in 1925. The waistline was below the natural waist. Hems rose throughout the decade as skirts became shorter. Hairstyles evolved from long curls to bob cuts. Makeup became popular and accessible to more women through new cosmetics companies.
Financial performance management of a retail property requires tracking key benchmarks to optimize the property's performance for landlords and tenants. These benchmarks include tenants' trade numbers, property outgoings, regional rental trends, vacancy rates, and changes in the local demographics. Careful monitoring of these financial factors can help identify issues early and ensure the property stays competitive through appropriate strategic decisions around tenant mix, outgoings, refurbishment, and rent levels.
Store First is a UK self-storage company that has acquired and developed 15 storage facilities. It aims to acquire and develop 50 facilities in the next 5 years. Store First offers storage units at significantly lower prices than competitors, around 32% cheaper on average, appealing to both individual and business customers. Investors can purchase long leases on storage pods and receive an 8% annual rental return guaranteed for the first two years through Store First's management of the facilities. The document provides analysis of the strong growth prospects of the UK self-storage market and Store First's competitive advantages in the industry.
For many corporate occupiers, commercial property constitutes one of their largest operational assets. With a desire to improve shareholder value and efficiency and to refocus on core business, the continued necessity to
retain such assets on the balance sheet is now under challenge. Changes in accountancy practice and a desire to maintain flexibility are, however making the choices ever more complicated.
This paper examines the current options available for corporate users seeking to extract value from their property assets.
The document discusses the need for transformation of commissioning and procurement processes in English local government. It outlines the current financial challenges and notes that local councils will need to reduce costs significantly while relying more on external organizations to deliver services. The transformation process should focus on five key themes: new service models, managing risk versus risk aversion, shaping markets, looking ahead not back, and improved contract management. Savings could be achieved through leveraging collective purchasing power across local councils and improving management of contracts once awarded.
The document discusses the need for transformation of commissioning and procurement processes in English local government. It outlines the current financial challenges and notes that local councils will need to reduce costs significantly while relying more on external organizations to deliver services. The transformation process should focus on five key themes: new service models, managing risk versus risk aversion, shaping markets, looking ahead not back, and improved contract management. Savings could be achieved through leveraging collective purchasing power across local councils and improving management of contracts once awarded.
Play Providers Conference- Rating- Are you paying too much? theppa
Ā
Rising rates bill? Worried you may be paying too much? Tony How, Director of surveyors Davis Brown, gives a run down of how the new bills have been calculated, and explains what action ratepayers can take if rates bills look excessive? Tony has been instrumental in securing rates reductions for leisure clients since 1995 and has successfully represented a number of play centre operators in appeals against the 2005 rating list.
This document discusses various approaches to investing in property, focusing on residential property investments. It outlines some of the key reasons why property investing has become popular, including the familiarity and comfort people have with property, and the ability to use leverage through mortgages. The document then examines different types of residential property investments including home ownership, which provides tax advantages but less liquidity, and buy-to-let properties, which generate rental income but involve management responsibilities. It analyzes some of the risks and benefits of each approach.
A cost segregation study allows commercial property owners to accelerate depreciation deductions and reduce taxes by separating building costs into components with different recovery periods. Properties over $1 million constructed after 1986 are good candidates. The study identifies costs like equipment and land improvements that can be depreciated over 5-7 years instead of 39 years for buildings. Studies have saved property owners an average $15 in taxes for every $1 spent on the study.
The document provides an overview of the educational components and opportunities for members of the UCREC (University of Chicago Real Estate Club) during the winter quarter of 2010. It includes details on finance basics sessions, REIT presentations, company presentations, mentoring programs, networking events, and scholarship opportunities. Accomplishments from the previous fall quarter are also summarized, including company presentations and panel discussions.
The document provides an overview of the educational components and opportunities for members of the UCREC (University of Chicago Real Estate Council) for Winter 2010. It includes information on finance basics, REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), company presentations, mentoring opportunities, and accomplishments from Fall 2009. Some key events mentioned are a presentation from Bank of America on February 1st and the hosting of a real estate case competition in 2011.
The document discusses the rationale for establishing a UK municipal bond agency. Key points include:
- The agency aims to lower borrowing costs for local councils by accessing funding at competitive rates from bond markets.
- No additional legislation is required, as councils have the necessary borrowing powers.
- 56 councils have signed up as initial shareholders, investing a total of Ā£6 million to launch the agency.
- The agency expects to break even within 3 years at a lending volume of Ā£2 billion, and will be run on a cost of around Ā£2 million per year.
- The agency will subject councils to a credit process and aims to offer rates competitive with the Public Works Loan Board.
This issue of the CBIZ CRE quarterly āhot topicsā newsletter provides guidance on minimizing your property taxes (āYes, COVID Will Likely Impact Your Property Taxes), discusses five stimulus provisions that affect commercial real estate and offers an in-depth discussion on how to manage the cost of risk in this hardening property insurance market by improving the quality of your data. Included in this issue are the usual additional resources ā links to on-demand webinars, COVID-19 resources and additional content and business aids. Residential property managers will find the Loss Control Checklist to be particularly useful in combating rising insurance costs.
The document discusses accounting for goodwill impairment under AASB 136 for Sahara Ltd, a company that recently adopted international accounting standards. It explains that goodwill impairment testing requires identifying the company's cash-generating units, determining their recoverable amounts, and comparing them to carrying amounts to identify any impairment loss. The document provides guidance on identifying cash-generating units, calculating recoverable amounts, recognizing impairment losses, and disclosing impairment testing methods and results.
The document summarizes key topics from a financial workshop, including basic accounting principles, investment fundamentals, and commercial real estate finance concepts. It covers accounting ledgers and financial statements, cash flow analysis, net operating income, investment characteristics, appraisal approaches, capitalization rates, and methods for determining investment value.
Similar to Success guide to negotiating business rates (20)
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is a historic park and garden located near Birmingham, England. The gardens feature a variety of plants and trees, as well as a lake and several follies built in the 18th century. Visitors can explore the gardens' beautiful landscape and historic buildings throughout the autumn months.
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is hosting events during the summer of 2015. A variety of activities are scheduled such as live music concerts on Sundays in July and August. Visitors can also enjoy the gardens, playground, and cafe throughout the summer months.
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is a historic park and garden located in Castle Bromwich, England. The gardens were originally part of the estate of Castle Bromwich Hall, a Tudor manor house built in the 16th century. Today, the 16 hectare gardens are maintained by the Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust as a public park for the local community to enjoy.
The document discusses nine agents of decay that can cause damage to museum collections over time: 1) direct physical forces, 2) thieves/vandals/displacers, 3) fire, 4) water, 5) pests, 6) contaminants, 7) light, 8) incorrect temperature, and 9) incorrect relative humidity. It emphasizes the importance of monitoring collections for signs of damage from these agents and controlling the museum environment through temperature, humidity, light levels and filtration of pollutants. The key to successful collection care is understanding what objects are made of and which agents pose the greatest risks, then implementing policies, procedures, handling guidelines and environmental monitoring to manage those risks and slow the natural decay process as much
Independent Museums Association provides guidance on optimizing donation box fundraising. They recommend using transparent Perspex boxes placed at entrances and exits to encourage donations by allowing people to see money already donated. Boxes should have clear signage explaining the charitable nature and funding needs of the museum. Regularly updating visible cash floats and tracking donations helps increase amounts given. Encouraging staff and volunteers to promote donation boxes can significantly boost intake. Claiming Gift Aid and the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme can further increase funds raised through on-site donations.
The document provides guidance on successfully using social media for organizations. It discusses various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and using hashtags and tags. Twitter is recommended for promoting exhibitions and events with quick updates. Facebook is better for connecting with supporters on a personal level and engaging communities. Both require regular posting and interaction to build an audience and keep people engaged. Overall social media is a good way to raise awareness, engage new audiences, and market organizations if used strategically alongside other communication channels.
This document provides guidance on developing a successful business plan for a museum or cultural organization. It recommends involving all levels of the organization to ensure accurate information and buy-in. The business plan should include an executive summary, organizational overview with vision and values, strategic aims and objectives, internal and external analysis, financial plans, and monitoring processes. Developing the plan takes 6-8 weeks typically and an away day can encourage fresh thinking. The guidance then outlines what to include in each section to create an effective roadmap for achieving organizational goals.
This document provides guidelines for museums on the disposal of items from collections. It outlines key principles for ethical and responsible disposal, including only disposing of items as part of an approved collections development policy aimed at improving public benefit. Methods of disposal discussed include transferring items to other accredited museums, returning items to donors, and sale or destruction as a last resort. The document stresses the importance of transparency, seeking stakeholder views, and retaining items in the public domain wherever possible.
The document describes the Arts Connect WM Film and Digital Arts Project, which aims to create digital interpretations of museum, library, and heritage collections through collaborations between these institutions and artists. The project will invite artists to creatively respond to collections and propose digital art installations created with and for children and young people. Its objectives are to explore collections in new ways, integrate digital arts into venues, build skills in digital arts among staff and artists, and engage young people as collaborators. The document requests that interested institutions express interest in working with artists to bring collections to new audiences through digital platforms.
The document provides an agenda for a workshop on working machines held at the Events suite Thinktank, Millennium point in Birmingham on October 17th, 2013. The workshop included presentations on standards for caring for larger working objects, assessing regional significance of collections, interpreting working machinery for the public, and working with collections in different ways. It also involved group discussions on making care guidelines relevant for all types of working collections, when to repair or replace parts versus making objects static, and feedback from the discussions. The day aimed to discuss how to care for and interpret working machine collections.
The West Midlands Museum Development Officers (WMMDOs) secured funding for a 3-year program to help over 230 regional museums meet challenges. Embedded in county museum services, the WMMDOs support museums through strategic partnerships, skills development, and helping improve collections, visitor experiences, and organizational resilience. A survey found the WMMDOs greatly boost museums' confidence by enabling improvements they could not achieve alone.
This document outlines 10 golden rules for good governance of charity organizations. The rules emphasize: 1) committing to and clearly communicating the charity's core goals; 2) defining the distinct roles of executive staff/volunteers and non-executive trustees; 3) maintaining open communication and partnership between senior staff and trustees; 4) fully supporting staff or replacing them if inadequate; 5) holding regular meetings to discuss strategic issues; 6) taking time for annual planning; 7) establishing long-term strategic goals and objectives; 8) basing decisions on evidence and principles; 9) making trustees aware of their legal obligations; and 10) ensuring proper financial oversight and fundraising. Following these rules aims to create successful governance for museum and gallery char
This presentation was provided by Racquel Jemison, Ph.D., Christina MacLaughlin, Ph.D., and Paulomi Majumder. Ph.D., all of the American Chemical Society, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Level 3 NCEA - NZ: A Nation In the Making 1872 - 1900 SML.pptHenry Hollis
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The History of NZ 1870-1900.
Making of a Nation.
From the NZ Wars to Liberals,
Richard Seddon, George Grey,
Social Laboratory, New Zealand,
Confiscations, Kotahitanga, Kingitanga, Parliament, Suffrage, Repudiation, Economic Change, Agriculture, Gold Mining, Timber, Flax, Sheep, Dairying,
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering.pptxDenish Jangid
Ā
Chapter wise All Notes of First year Basic Civil Engineering
Syllabus
Chapter-1
Introduction to objective, scope and outcome the subject
Chapter 2
Introduction: Scope and Specialization of Civil Engineering, Role of civil Engineer in Society, Impact of infrastructural development on economy of country.
Chapter 3
Surveying: Object Principles & Types of Surveying; Site Plans, Plans & Maps; Scales & Unit of different Measurements.
Linear Measurements: Instruments used. Linear Measurement by Tape, Ranging out Survey Lines and overcoming Obstructions; Measurements on sloping ground; Tape corrections, conventional symbols. Angular Measurements: Instruments used; Introduction to Compass Surveying, Bearings and Longitude & Latitude of a Line, Introduction to total station.
Levelling: Instrument used Object of levelling, Methods of levelling in brief, and Contour maps.
Chapter 4
Buildings: Selection of site for Buildings, Layout of Building Plan, Types of buildings, Plinth area, carpet area, floor space index, Introduction to building byelaws, concept of sun light & ventilation. Components of Buildings & their functions, Basic concept of R.C.C., Introduction to types of foundation
Chapter 5
Transportation: Introduction to Transportation Engineering; Traffic and Road Safety: Types and Characteristics of Various Modes of Transportation; Various Road Traffic Signs, Causes of Accidents and Road Safety Measures.
Chapter 6
Environmental Engineering: Environmental Pollution, Environmental Acts and Regulations, Functional Concepts of Ecology, Basics of Species, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Hydrological Cycle; Chemical Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen & Phosphorus; Energy Flow in Ecosystems.
Water Pollution: Water Quality standards, Introduction to Treatment & Disposal of Waste Water. Reuse and Saving of Water, Rain Water Harvesting. Solid Waste Management: Classification of Solid Waste, Collection, Transportation and Disposal of Solid. Recycling of Solid Waste: Energy Recovery, Sanitary Landfill, On-Site Sanitation. Air & Noise Pollution: Primary and Secondary air pollutants, Harmful effects of Air Pollution, Control of Air Pollution. . Noise Pollution Harmful Effects of noise pollution, control of noise pollution, Global warming & Climate Change, Ozone depletion, Greenhouse effect
Text Books:
1. Palancharmy, Basic Civil Engineering, McGraw Hill publishers.
2. Satheesh Gopi, Basic Civil Engineering, Pearson Publishers.
3. Ketki Rangwala Dalal, Essentials of Civil Engineering, Charotar Publishing House.
4. BCP, Surveying volume 1
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A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
Elevate Your Nonprofit's Online Presence_ A Guide to Effective SEO Strategies...TechSoup
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Whether you're new to SEO or looking to refine your existing strategies, this webinar will provide you with actionable insights and practical tips to elevate your nonprofit's online presence.
This document provides an overview of wound healing, its functions, stages, mechanisms, factors affecting it, and complications.
A wound is a break in the integrity of the skin or tissues, which may be associated with disruption of the structure and function.
Healing is the bodyās response to injury in an attempt to restore normal structure and functions.
Healing can occur in two ways: Regeneration and Repair
There are 4 phases of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. This document also describes the mechanism of wound healing. Factors that affect healing include infection, uncontrolled diabetes, poor nutrition, age, anemia, the presence of foreign bodies, etc.
Complications of wound healing like infection, hyperpigmentation of scar, contractures, and keloid formation.
2. Success Guides
Successfully
Negotiating Business
Rates
By Colin Hunter MRICS IRRV
(Hons)
Front cover picture: The Historic Dockyard Chatham on a
busy day at the height of the summer season. The trust
which runs the dockyard has been successful in a range of
rating appeals and continues that process in relation to
values assigned to its many historic structures on a case by
case basis.
3. 3
AIM Success Guides
Successfully Negotiating
Business Rates
Business rates are
surrounded by myths
and legends, as is only
right and proper for
something with 400
years of history.
Business Rates may well deserve a place in a museum
exhibition: in one form or another they have been with
us since the 1601 Poor Law. You will be pleased to know
the legislation has been updated since its inception and
the current primary legislation for England and Wales is
the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (LGFA) 1988.
Both Acts were signed by a Queen Elizabeth.
History & Background
Business rates are surrounded by
myths and legends, as is only right and
proper for something with 400 years
of history, but in essence it is simple.
Under the current legislation, it is
simply a property tax.
Since devolution, England and Wales
operate slightly diļ¬erent systems.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have
always operated under similar but
separate legislation. The general
principles apply to all four countries
but the speciļ¬cs vary. The commentary
set out below relates to England; a
comparison of the diļ¬erences between
England and the other legislative areas
is set out at the end of this guide.
Business rates are a signiļ¬cant cost to
businesses, and will be an increasingly
signiļ¬cant cost to museums over the
next few years.
Basics
The basis of the tax is the Rateable
Value which is set by the Valuation
Oļ¬ce Agency (an executive agency of
HMRC). The Rateable Value is an
estimate of the rental value of the
property (āhereditamentā) which is
being charged business rates. Arriving
at a rental value is relatively
straightforward for shops, oļ¬ces,
factories and warehouses but is far
from simple for properties which are
normally never let, or which are
unique. The deļ¬nition of Rateable
Value is set down in the legislation but
has a track record of case law to āassistā
in working out what is being valued
and what is being ignored.
In its simplest form, the rates liability is
arrived at from the multiplication of
the Rateable Value by a nationally set
multiplier, which varies from year to
year, based on the RPI increase for
September of the previous year.
Revaluations ā Resetting the
Clock
The Rateable Values are reset
periodically by a Revaluation of all
properties. The LGFA sets a statutory
period of ļ¬ve years between
Revaluations, the ļ¬rst being in 1990,
followed by ļ¬ve yearly reviews up to
2010. The Growth and Infrastructure
Act has however deferred the next
Revaluation to 2017. The valuation
date for each Revaluation is two years
prior to the Revaluation coming into
force, therefore the 2010 Revaluation is
based on rental values in April 2008,
just after the peak of the property
boom.
The system of grant support changed
on 1 April 2013. Although the rates
bills will not change, the political
and economic landscape for Local
Authorities in England has changed
signiļ¬cantly and is discussed in a
separate section below. This is in part
driven by the Localism Act 2011, which
places greater emphasis on the
provision of local services by Local
Government. It is however the biggest
change to Local Government funding
since the introduction of the ill-fated
Community Charge in 1990.
4. Management Successfully Negotiating Business Rates
At the start of a new Rating List, there
is often a signiļ¬cant adjustment
between diļ¬erent property sectors
and regional locations so that some
properties face signiļ¬cant hikes in
liability and some beneļ¬t from
signiļ¬cant reductions. This is smoothed
out by capping the maximum increase
or decrease based on a percentage
change from the liability for the year
immediately prior. Therefore for the
2010/11 rate year the liability is capped
by reference to the 2009/10 rate
liability. This is known as transitional
allowance.
The system of transitional allowance is
governed by Statutory Instruments.
Following the postponement of the
2015 Revaluation to 2017, there may
be changes made to deal with the
additional two years. As noted above,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
operate diļ¬erent regimes; please refer
to the section at the end of this guide if
your museum is not in England.
There is nothing individual ratepayers
or groups of ratepayers can do to
inļ¬uence the multiplier, or the
transitional allowance scheme.
Therefore the only part of the basic
liability which can be addressed is the
Rateable Value.
need to understand what we are
valuing. The single word museum
normally conjures a mental image of
a Victorian red brick purpose built
municipal building. A museum is
not the building or land, it is the
organisation that occupies it and any
type of building could be occupied as
a museum. However, the normal
situation is that museums occupy
unique buildings, some of which are
purpose built, many of which are
adapted from older properties. The
property itself may be the reason for
the museumās existence. There are a
small number of museums, such as
Beamish in the North East, which are a
collection of older buildings relocated
onto a single site to provide a new
setting. The true value of museums is
cultural, educational, and social.
However the Rateable Value should
only be a measure of ļ¬nancial value,
i.e. the rent the tenant would be willing
to pay, assuming the tenant has
responsibility for all repairs, running
costs and insurance.
There are four tried and tested
methods for arriving at this notional
rent for rating:
1. Rental Comparable Method
2. Rateable Value Comparable Method
3. Receipts and Expenditure Method
Reliefs
Charities receive a mandatory 80%
relief from business rates for properties
they occupy for their charitable
purposes. Some Local Authorities give
further discretionary relief which will
further reduce liability, potentially to
zero. The number of authorities giving
this discretionary relief has been falling
for several years, and that trend is
likely to accelerate due to the latest
changes to the funding regime for the
councils which is considered later in
this note.
How Museums are Valued for
Rating
As noted above, the Rateable Value is
a notional rent for the property, but
before we can arrive at that rent we
4. Contractors Method.
Rental Comparable and Rateable
Value Comparable
For the vast majority of properties
occupied by museums, there are no
rental comparables, and there is no
rent paid on the property so the ļ¬rst
option is ruled out in most cases. The
second option is something of a self
fulļ¬lling prophecy; it has the problem
of how to compare diļ¬erent unique
properties, and is of no help at the
start of a new Rating List where there
are no agreed comparables.
This leaves two methods.
Receipts and Expenditure
The third method, Receipts and
Expenditure, is commonly used when
The single word
museum normally
conjures a mental
image of a Victorian
red brick purpose built
municipal building. A
museum is not the
building or land, it is
the organisation that
occupies it and any
type of building could
be occupied as a
museum.
4
5. 5
AIM Success Guides
The Valuation Oļ¬ceās
preferred approach is
to adopt a % of the
Gross Receipts on the
assumption that
irrespective of the
commercial reality, a
museum will still
make a bid for the
building.
valuing leisure attractions. Museums
are in the market in competition for
visitors with other leisure attractions
and some are described in the
Rating List as visitor attractions and
not museums (for example SS Great
Britain). There is a strong case for
arguing that this is the appropriate
method for valuing all museums
but this argument runs into several
diļ¬culties. Firstly, there is a
general resistance from the
Valuation Oļ¬ce to consider the full
receipts and expenditure of museums.
Their argument is that museums are
occupied by charitable or public
bodies and so there is a belief that
they are not run on a truly commercial
basis and that the income generated
is not as much as a well managed
commercial operation would
produce. Their argument also
goes on to say that the costs and
expenditure are inļ¬uenced by the
charitable nature of the business
and so do not give a true economic
picture.
The Valuation Oļ¬ceās preferred
approach is to adopt a % of the Gross
Receipts on the assumption that
irrespective of the commercial reality,
a museum will still make a bid for the
building. This view is based on the
values, other than ļ¬nancial, that
museums create. This approach is
normally referred to as the simpliļ¬ed
receipts method.
This argument ignores the increasing
professionalism of museums over the
last three decades, with marketing
and promotion of the attraction on a
national or global scale, the advent
of internet sites and the enhanced
promotion of retail sales. There is a
limited degree of truth regarding costs
and expenditure in that the charitable
objectives of a trust are diļ¬erent to the
commercial objectives of a for proļ¬t
business. The reality is that for this
sector, the charitable trusts are the
market and so the considerations of a
charity are the relevant considerations
when deciding what a willing tenant
could, or would, pay in rent to a willing
landlord.
Contractors Method
The ļ¬nal method, Contractors Method,
is often referred to as the method of
last resort. Contractors Method
assumes that if the property did not
exist it would be built. The cost of
constructing a replacement property,
including a ļ¬gure for the land and the
fees for construction, is calculated and
a statutory percentage is taken as
being the equivalent rental value.
This approach is adopted for most
municipal buildings, and specialised
properties such as steelworks. Where
the construction cost is met in part
from Central Government or EU grants,
there is an argument that the costs
should be reduced to reļ¬ect the
availability of the grants. This argument
has recently been thrown out by the
Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber)
(formerly the Lands Tribunal) which
is the ļ¬nal court in England for
determining valuation matters. AIM
and several of its members were
contacted by the Valuation Oļ¬ce
following the outcome of an appeal for
Sport England in respect of Bisham
Abbey. This decision took away any
allowance for grant aid. The Valuation
Oļ¬ce had previously made allowances
(potentially as much as 50%) when
valuing a range of properties funded
by grants.
This method normally produces far
higher values for museums than the
receipts and expenditure approach
and raises serious problems when
considering historical properties that
are expensive to build and have no
modern equivalent. If these properties
did not exist then there would be no
purpose in recreating them. As always
there are exceptions to the rule, such
as the recreation of the Globe Theatre
on the South Bank. There are over
2,500 properties valued as museums
or art galleries in England and Wales;
more than 1,200 are valued by
Contractors Method.
Rights of Appeal
The Rateable Value can be appealed
against. There is however only one
6. Management Successfully Negotiating Business Rates
Case Study ā Waltham Abbey
When the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mill ļ¬rst opened as a
museum, it was entered in the 2000 Rating List with a Rateable Value of
Ā£140,000. Despite 80% mandatory relief this created a level of rates
liability which was unaļ¬ordable.
The property had been valued by reference to the Contractors Method.
After initial discussions, the Valuation Oļ¬ce revised its approach to include
only those buildings accessible to the public or used as oļ¬ces and ancillary
buildings by the Foundation. This resulted in an oļ¬er to settle at Ā£95,000.
At a hearing of the Valuation Tribunal, the Valuation Oļ¬cer defended this
level of value and Waltham Abbeyās adviser argued for a reduction to Ā£0
based on receipts and expenditure method. The Valuation Tribunal found
for Waltham Abbey.
The Valuation Oļ¬cer appealed to Lands Tribunal (now Upper Tribunal
(Lands Chamber)) and, to avoid costs, a compromise settlement was
reached at Ā£5,000, which is based on receipts not costs of
construction.
The 2005 Rateable Value was drastically reduced and agreed at Ā£6,000,
following the same argument and the 2010 Rateable Value came into the
Rating List at Ā£7,000 and has not been appealed.
right of appeal for every ground
(reason). It is therefore imperative that
if an appeal is made it must be carried
out by a qualiļ¬ed professional, who
not only has experience of business
rates but understands museums and
the wider leisure market.
The appeal system starts with a
proposal to alter the Rating List, served
on the Valuation Oļ¬ce. The proposal
can be made on a standard form
provided by the Valuation Oļ¬cer, but it
is often necessary to understand the
detailed regulations which the form
does not provide direct correlation
with. If the proposal is not resolved
within three months, it will be sent on
to the Valuation Tribunal, by the
Valuation Oļ¬cer, as an appeal.
Proposals made before 31 March 2017
could potentially be backdated
to 1 April 2010.
Although making the proposal is a
simple process, and can be done using
a standard form provided by the
Valuation Oļ¬ce, the proposal must
meet a number of technical
requirements or it will be rejected.
The detailed grounds of the proposal
must be suļ¬ciently vague that they do
not rule out wide debates, but must
have enough detail that the Valuation
Oļ¬ce is required to deal with the
relevant issues. It may even be
necessary to make several proposals,
on a number of diļ¬erent grounds, in
order to achieve the desired outcome
of minimising liability.
When appeals are made, the onus
of proof is on the appellant. The
ratepayer has to prove that the
Rateable Value is wrong. The
Valuation Oļ¬ce does not have to
prove that it is right. This is an
important distinction as can be
seen from the decided cases.
6
7. 7
AIM Success Guides
Case Study ā Bradford City Council
A further complication is the free entry into national museums and
galleries coupled with some Local Authorities who give free or
subsidised access to their museums. In those cases there are no
receipts on which to base a valuation but even in these cases,
appeals are now being successful in breaking away from
Contractors Method and obtaining substantial reductions. As an
example of this, Bradford City Council has a policy of free entry for
Moorside Mill, home to Bradford Industrial Museum.
its museums. Appeals against the 2005 Rating List for the Industrial
Museum (a former textile mill), Bolling Hall (a manor house with parts dating from the 12th Century) Cliļ¬e Castle
and The Manor House, resulted in a hearing at a Valuation Tribunal. The original 2005 Rateable Values were based on
Contractors Method; the Valuation Oļ¬cer defended diļ¬erent ļ¬gures, and the agent on behalf of Bradford Council
presented ļ¬gures based on visitor numbers, and the income that could have been generated. The Tribunal took on
board aspects of both. The resultant ļ¬gures including the Tribunal decisions are set out below:
Bolling Hall
Manor House
Cliļ¬e Castle
Industrial Museum
TOTAL
2005 RV
Ā£19,500
Ā£13,250
Ā£55,000
Ā£90,000
Ā£177,750
VO Figure
Ā£3,350
Ā£6,400
Ā£35,250
Ā£68,000
Ā£113,000
Storeys
Ā£1,400
Ā£2,700
Ā£10,000
Ā£15,000
Ā£29,100
VT Decision
Ā£3,350
Ā£5,900
Ā£35,250
Ā£50,000
Ā£94,500
Historically, the Valuation Oļ¬ce had always valued these properties using the Contractors Method. The 2010 appeals
are still to be settled.
The argument on behalf of Bradford Council was that any potential tenant would produce a business plan based on
the number of visitors known to come to the attraction. The Valuation Tribunal agreed this was a sensible approach,
but due to the lack of any actual receipts, felt that they could not adopt the Rateable Values which were derived from
it. The Valuation Oļ¬ce was forced to abandon its argument that the properties should be valued on a Contractors
Method, and came up with four diļ¬erent approaches, one for each property. In the case of Bolling Hall, its approach
included a doubling of the ļ¬gure it originally thought of. The Industrial Museum was valued in line with other, still
functioning, multi-storey mills but with an allowance for the fact that the location was no longer suitable for goods
vehicles.
The 2010 appeals are still on-going.
Case Studies
There have been notable successes
with rating appeals for museums. In
the main these successes stem from
persuading the Valuation Oļ¬ce, or the
appropriate Tribunal, to adopt a
Receipts and Expenditure approach to
the valuation. This can potentially
result in Rateable Value Ā£0.
Three case studies involving historic
buildings are given in this guide covering
diļ¬erent aspects of the problems found
in dealing with the Valuation Oļ¬cerās
approach. The author was directly
involved in the appeals for Waltham
Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills and
Bradford City Council cases. The Court
of Appeal decision for The National
Trust has been widely reported.
8. Management Successfully Negotiating Business Rates
The Political Background ā
Localism Act 2011
Occupied properties receive an 80%
mandatory relief if they are occupied
by charities for charitable purposes.
This is set in statute, but there is some
pressure (especially in Wales) for this
percentage to be reduced.
Local Authorities can grant
discretionary relief which will further
reduce liability and in some authorities
the whole of the remaining 20%
liability may be removed by this
discretionary relief.
From 1 April 2013, Central Government
has reviewed the funding for Local
Authorities. This aļ¬ects the rates
support grant, council tax relief grants,
and numerous other grants. The
change is described as the Rates
Retention Scheme, and is a
consequence of the Localism Act.
Prior to 1 April 2013 all business rates
collected by Local Authorities were
paid over to the Treasury. The amount
received in rates support grants was
not related to the amount collected,
except that any discretionary relief
granted by the Council was part funded
(25%) by the Council. Therefore Central
Government carried the whole costs of
mandatory relief and 75% of the costs
of any discretionary relief.
From 1 April 2013 only 50% of
rates received is paid to Central
Government, the rest is retained by
the Council. Therefore the Councils
now carry the cost of 50% of the
mandatory and discretionary rate
relief. Therefore if a museum is granted
100% relief from rates, the Local
Authority must ļ¬nd 50% of that lost
rates income. Prior to 1 April 2013, the
cost to the Local Authority was only
5% of the lost income.
The Council is then paid a reduced
support grant (subject to various
adjustments) which will be reduced by
2% in real terms year on year for the
next 10 years or so to promote
eļ¬ciency. However, most Councils will
have lost funding at the outset: the
highest loss reported is 8.8%; the
average in the ļ¬rst year is said to be
1.8% loss. These statistics are
potentially misleading as the funding of
each Local Authority will be dictated by
their individual circumstances.
The Councils have no control over the
amount of rates charged, and little
control over Council Tax increases or
other revenue streams. They do
however have control over whether or
not to grant discretionary relief.
Since 1990 most Councils have
operated a very laissez-faire policy
toward business rates and have been
reactive not proactive. The change in
funding is changing this attitude.
Councils will now be less likely to grant
full discretionary rate relief and many
may choose to refuse any discretionary
relief. Councils will also be more likely
to challenge mandatory relief requests
with greater scrutiny regarding the
purpose of occupation and degree of
use for charitable purposes. This is
unlikely to aļ¬ect main buildings but
could have an impact on properties
occupied as stores or in temporary use.
There is a growing body of case law on
appeal from Magistrates Courts and
the High Court on this topic.
Empty Properties
Although business rates are a property
tax based on occupation, if a property
is empty then after an initial 3 months
void period (6 months for industrial
and storage properties) the person
with the right to occupy is liable for full
rates. The main exception to this rule is
that it only refers to buildings not land.
Properties where the ratepayer is a
charity may be exempt from the
charge. However this only applies if,
when the property is next likely to be
occupied, it will be occupied for
charitable purposes.
Some charities have been enticed into
entering agreements with landlords to
take leases on empty buildings so that
the landlords can avoid empty property
rates. The Charity Commission has
issued a warning about such practices,
and the Local Authority may refuse to
8
9. 9
AIM Success Guides
Case Study ā
National Trust Cases
The National Trust successfully
defended the use of the Receipts and
Expenditure method with appeals
that ran to the Court of Appeal on a
point of legal principle. In this case,
the Valuation Oļ¬ce was looking at a
simpliļ¬ed receipts approach taking
3% of the gross receipts. The point of
law being argued by the Valuation
Oļ¬cer was that a property that was
Castle Drogo, at the centre of the National
occupied and in use could not have a
Trustās appeal.
value of Ā£0. Both parties agreed
Contractors Method was not appropriate, but on a full Receipts and
Expenditure basis it could readily be shown that the National Trust
property in question (Castle Drogo) made a loss. The Court of Appeal
conļ¬rmed that it was reasonable when looking at an historic building to
assume a landlord would accept no rent on the basis that the tenant was
taking on the costs of maintaining, insuring and preserving the property.
This argument has been successfully applied to other museum properties
around the country and the Valuation Oļ¬ce is accepting that other
museums should be valued on a receipts basis, but are still arguing for 3%
or more of gross receipts. The discussions are ongoing, on a property by
property basis, but the majority of museums have not appealed for a
variety of reasons. The reason at the top of the list for not appealing is that
many museums are receiving 100% rates relief and so have no interest in
what level of value has been applied. If the discretionary relief is lost then
an appeal should be considered.
grant charitable relief so that the
charity is exposed to the full charge. If
your museum is approached to
participate in any such schemes, you
need to take expert advice of your
own.
There have been recent High Court
decisions involving charities which have
taken properties as a means to reduce
the landlordās exposure to empty
property rates. The schemes have
worked for the landlords but the
charities have not been given the
80% mandatory relief because the
properties are not wholly, or mainly,
occupied for charitable purposes.
Conclusion
The above note gives a ļ¬avour of
business rates and is by no means
exhaustive.
The political landscape is changing and
there will be greater pressure for Local
Authorities to maximise the rates
revenue in their area and reduce their
exposure to reliefs as far as possible.
Therefore more museums will be faced
with rates bills that only give the
mandatory relief and where there is
doubt, museums will need to ensure
that their occupation of properties
fully complies with the statutory
requirements for any relief to be given.
10. Management Successfully Negotiating Business Rates
The current 2010 Rating List will be in
force until 1 April 2017 or longer and
so the 2010 Rateable Value will aļ¬ect
rate liability for a minimum of 7 years.
Museums are very diļ¬cult to value for
rating purposes; many are not valued
on the basis of their ļ¬nances (Receipts
and Expenditure) but on the cost of
construction without the beneļ¬t of any
allowance for grant aid or other
funding. Those which are valued by
reference to receipts are often valued
on a percentage of gross receipts and
not with regard to the full accounts.
Therefore most museums are
overvalued in the Rating List at the
date of this guide.
Appeals can be made against the
Rateable Value, but need to be
undertaken by a qualiļ¬ed rating
surveyor with experience of the
museum sector and leisure properties
generally.
Comparison between England,
Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland
As with England, valuations are
undertaken by the Valuation Oļ¬ce.
In the ļ¬rst instance, the appeals are
heard by the Valuation Tribunal
responsible for the particular location
in Wales.
Scotland
Scottish property law is radically
diļ¬erent to the English and Welsh legal
framework. The principles of valuation
are eļ¬ectively the same but the
primary legislation is Local Government
(Scotland) Act 1975.
Appeals against the 2010 Rateable
Values had to be made before 1
October 2010. There are very limited
grounds of appeal after that date.
Scotland has a uniform business rate
applied to the country, and standard
allowances. However the valuations
are undertaken by assessors who are
oļ¬cers of the local councils.
Appeals in the ļ¬rst instance are to the
Valuation Appeal Committee. The next
revaluation is 2017.
The Scottish Assessors Association
website is www.saa.gov.uk
England
Primary legislation is found in the Local
Government Finance Act 1988. The
detailed provisions for appeals are set
out in Statutory Instruments. The
current rights of appeal are open
ended until the next Rating List comes
into force.
The valuations are undertaken by the
Valuation Oļ¬ce, an executive agency
of HMRC. Appeals, at ļ¬rst instance,
are heard by the Valuation Tribunal
England.
The Valuation Oļ¬ce Agency website is
www.voa.gov.uk
Wales
The same primary legislation applies
as in England. There are separate
Statutory Instruments for Wales but
from a practical viewpoint, there is no
regulatory diļ¬erence. Rights of appeal
mirror those in England.
Northern Ireland
As with Scotland, there is a diļ¬erent
legal framework for rates in Northern
Ireland. Unlike England, Scotland and
Wales where there are separate
systems of property tax for domestic
and non-domestic properties, there is
still a single system applied in Northern
Ireland.
The current revaluation is from 2003
and the initial time period for appeals
is closed. However, there is a
commitment to review Rateable Values
if representations are made setting out
detailed reasons for believing the
valuation to be wrong.
The valuation and charging of rates is
dealt with by the Land and Property
Services Northern Ireland Agency.
Both valuation and collection of
non-domestic rates is carried out by
Land and Property Services Northern
Ireland (LPSNI).
Appeals can be made
against the Rateable
Value, but need to be
undertaken by a
qualiļ¬ed rating
surveyor with
experience of the
museum sector and
leisure properties
generally.
10
11. 11
AIM Success Guides
Unlike the other three nations, the
current valuation list for non-domestic
properties became operative on 1 April
2003 and is based on rental values as
at 1 April 2001.
There will be a revaluation on 1 April
2015. This will reļ¬ect hypothetical
rental values eļ¬ective on 1 April 2013.
It is intended that the exercise will
redistribute the overall rates burden
although it is not expected that the
overall tax take will alter signiļ¬cantly.
LPSNI is also responsible for collecting
the rates. There are two rates used to
calculate liability, regional rate set by
Northern Ireland Executive and district
rate set by the District Council.
There are no transitional phasing
provisions and therefore the
calculation of rates bills is simple and
any reduction in Rateable Value will
produce a proportionate reduction in
liability. There are a number of reliefs
available to business ratepayers, in
particular, charitable or not-for-proļ¬t
relief (if occupied for public beneļ¬t).
Commonality Between the
Countries
The Valuation Oļ¬ce (for England and
Wales), Scottish Assessors, and Land
and Property Services Northern Ireland
are all independent of each other and
each work in their own way with
diļ¬erent guidance on how to value
diļ¬erent property types. But as stated
at the beginning of this guide, the basic
principles of valuation apply to all four
countries.
Much of the ethos and guidance for
rating valuation is derived from case
law and the decisions of the higher
courts, especially Lands Chamber
(Lands Tribunal), Court of Appeal or
Supreme Court (House of Lords) will
inļ¬uence valuation practice equally in
all four countries. Therefore decisions,
such as the Court of Appeal in Hoare
(VO) v The National Trust 1998 RA 391,
aļ¬ect every legislative area.
The main diļ¬erences are the
calculation of the rates bills and the
rights of appeal.
The Land and Property Services
Northern Ireland website is
www.dfpni.gov.uk/lps
Storeys Edward Symons is part of the ES Group which is the collective
name for Edward Symmons LLP, Storeys Edward Symmons and Aaron Fox.
The group employs specialist surveyors and valuers across 10 oļ¬ces, with
a wide range of niche experts advising on all aspects of property and
business assets, including business rates, receivership and insolvency,
leasing and asset management.
Colin Hunter MRICS IRRV (Hons) Director
Email: colin.hunter@storeys-es.com
DDI: 0113 2376906
Website: www.es-group.com