Valuation Tribunal - IMPORTANT CHANGE HAPPENING ON 1 OCTOBER 2009

1 October 2009 brings a very important change in how council tax, drainage rate and non-domestic rate appeals will be handled in the future. The Valuation Tribunal for England will replace the 56 separate valuation tribunals currently spread throughout England and constitute one Tribunal for the whole of England.

As a result of this change, the overarching name of ‘Valuation Tribunal’ will now be used for many of our public-facing activities to provide a single focus on the judicial and administrative functions provided by the Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) and the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS). The President of the VTE is Professor Graham Zellick CBE, its judicial head. The VTS remains a non-departmental public body governed by a Board and administered by its Chief Executive.

As part of this change, on 1 October we are launching a new website with the domain name www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk

Please amend your records and any ‘bookmarks’ to this new name.

New regulations[1] have been laid very recently, which cover procedures and the appeals process. There are some important changes as a consequence, such as:

The previous appeals regulations for council tax valuation and non-domestic rating are revoked.

Parties may apply to the VTE for directions in writing before the day of the hearing, or orally at the hearing. The VTE may also issue its own directions.

If an appellant appoints a representative, they must let the VTE know in writing before the hearing date.

Presidential discretion to accept an appeal made out of time is extended from applying to council tax appeals to appeals against penalty and completion notices.

Notice of hearing must be at least 14 days, but the VTE may give shorter notice with the parties’ consent, or in urgent or exceptional cases. However, our standard notice of hearing will remain 4-6 weeks.

Withdrawal of an appeal must be in writing to the Valuation Tribunal.

A ‘panel’ will normally comprise three members; however it may be any number if the President so directs, provided that at least one of them is a senior member, (that is drawn from the panel of Chairmen). The parties’ consent is not required.

For more information, please contact the office that you most regularly use, or the Head Office shown at the top of this notice.

[1] Valuation Tribunal for England (Council Tax and Rating Appeals) (Procedure) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No 2269; Council Tax (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No 2270; Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (England) Regulations 2009 SI 20092268; Valuation Tribunals (Consequential Modifications and Saving and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No 2271; Valuation Tribunal for England (Membership and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No 2267.

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Valuation Tribunal - IMPORTANT CHANGE HAPPENING ON 1 OCTOBER 2009

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