More late November MQT answers
Senior officers’ perquisites
Question No: 2016/3416
Andrew Dismore
What was the cost of perquisites awarded to officers of the rank of commander and above in the last financial year; what perquisites are senior officers entitled to or to claim for; what are the criteria applied to qualify for perquisites; and what was the highest value of perquisites received by a single officer ?
Written response from the Mayor
The only perquisites available to the rank of Commander and above is a car expense allowance of £10,500 per annum, which is subject to tax and National Insurance.
Officers are required to provide evidence of expenditure incurred in purchasing, insuring, running and maintaining a suitable personal vehicle for use in a business capacity and evidence of Insurance which allows business use. This appears on their payroll as an allowance.
The highest value claim against this allowance was £10,500.00, which is the maximum threshold of the allowance.
The total value of all perquisites over the last financial year was £111,038.74.
Business rates [1]
Question No: 2016/4367
Andrew Dismore
In the light of estimated uplifts of nearly 30% in business rates what steps are you taking to encourage London businesses to check their new values?
Written response from the Mayor
It is a matter for the proper administering bodies – the Department for Communities and Local government, the Valuation Office Agency and, local billing authorities, to provide information to ratepayers to assist them in checking their new valuations.
Following the publication of the draft valuations on 30 September, the 33 London billing authorities wrote directly to the ratepayers of each of the circa 301,000 non domestic properties in London to advise them of the process for checking their new rateable values on the Valuation Office Agency’s website. All ratepayers should therefore have been notified of the process for checking their new valuations.
A weblink has also been provided on the GLA’s Crossrail Business rate supplement homepage as this will be applied based on the new 2017 valuations.
Business rates [2]
Question No: 2016/4368
Andrew Dismore
What are you doing to remind businesses that face swingeing increases in business rates to go to the VOA website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency/ to check the basis of their new rateable value, as they have only until 30 November 2016 to challenge it?
Written response from the Mayor
Following the publication of the draft valuations on 30 September, the 33 London billing authorities wrote directly to the ratepayers of each of the circa 301,000 non domestic properties in London to advise them of the process for checking their new rateable values on the Valuation Office Agency’s website. All ratepayers should therefore have been notified of the process for checking their new valuations.
The VOA has also provided an online calculator to allow ratepayers to estimate their new business rates bills. A weblink has also been provided on the GLA’s Crossrail Business rate supplement homepage.
While 30 November represents an initial deadline for reporting errors, all ratepayers will still have the ability to formally challenge their valuations under the new ‘Check Challenge Appeals’ process being introduced from 1 April 2017.
Impact of HS2 on Euston
Question No: 2016/4380
Andrew Dismore
In August you wrote a very welcome letter to the Secretary of State for Transport about the impact of HS2 on Euston setting out your concerns on behalf of residents after you met with local representatives. Details of this appeared in the Evening Standard last month. Have you received a reply yet; and if so, will you publish it; and if not what are you doing to press for a reply?
Written response from the Mayor
The Secretary of State responded to my letter on 10 October, stating that he shares my desire to maximise the opportunity HS2 presents locally and wants to see a comprehensive redevelopment of Euston.
His response also recognises that it is critical to mitigate the impacts of construction on people living and working around the Euston area. Whilst the SoS’s response provides some reassurance, I will continue to push for a better outcome at Euston to reduce the impacts of HS2 and protect peoples quality of life and livelihoods.
West Ham and security at the Olympic Stadium [2]
Question No: 2016/4402
Andrew Dismore
How much has been, or is expected to be, refunded by West Ham to the Met with respect to policing their home games at the Olympic Stadium since the start of the football season; and what has been the total policing cost of these games?
Written response from the Mayor
As the owners of London Stadium, E20 Stadium LLP, a joint venture between LLDC and Newham Council, are responsible for security arrangements at the venue; the concession agreement does not have any provision for West Ham United FC to meet the costs of policing.
Since the start of the football season, London Stadium 185 (the stadium operators) have only been provided with Special Policing Services for West Ham vs Stoke on 5th November for which an invoice is being raised for £43,350.
Estimated police officer costs (excluding overtime) for wider policing of West Ham fixtures at London Stadium since 4th August is £426,170. Until 5th November officers have only deployed onto land owned, leased or controlled by the stadium in response to crime and disorder.
Police can only charge where officers deploy on land owned, leased or controlled by the stadium in a preventative capacity.
