Policy and Consultations:
2024 Consultations
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The IRRV responds to consultations that are relevant to the membership and profession across all the Institute’s faculties. Most consultations of interest are issued by the UK national governments on legislative matters, but responses can be made to papers emanating from the private and non-profit sectors and from international bodies.
This work is undertaken under the guidance of the Law and Research Portfolio Holder. Drafting is developed with the input of the Institute’s Faculty Board members. Issues being consulted upon can often span the interests of two or more Boards; it is a strength of the Institute’s responses that they reflect that wider professional viewpoint.
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The valuation of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for Council Tax [Wales]
The Welsh Government are seeking views on draft Regulations on Council Tax for HMOs in Wales.
They are consulting on draft Regulations:
- to ensure HMOs are banded as a single property with 1 Council Tax band
- to ensure the HMO owner remains liable for Council Tax.
To achieve this, they are proposing to disapply the Council Tax (Chargeable Dwellings) Order 1992 and the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992 in relation to Wales and make the Council Tax (Chargeable dwellings) (Wales) Regulations 2025 and the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) (Wales) Regulations 2025.
The new Regulations would replicate the existing provisions and include new provisions so that HMO properties are aggregated and treated as a single dwelling for Council Tax purposes. The Regulations would also expand the prescribed class of HMO for which the owner is responsible for paying Council Tax. Regulation 4 of the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) (Wales) Regulations 2025 transfers the liability to pay Council Tax to the person who has the most inferior interest (whether freehold or leasehold) in the whole of the dwelling or, where there is no such person, the freeholder of the whole or any part of the dwelling, rather than to the owner.
The consultation can be found at https://www.gov.wales/valuation-houses-multiple-occupation-hmos-council-tax.
Closing date for responses is 26 November 2024.
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Consultation on ECB approach to Complaints Handling and Sanctions [England and Wales]
The ECB have launched their consultation on how they will run their new complaints process and set out their expectations of enforcement firms when handling complaints.
They've created a new set of standards for the enforcement sector, which include details on how firms should handle complaints.
After consulting on these standards over summer, they will roll them out in the coming weeks. You can find out more here: LINK.
They're now consulting on guidance that will accompany the complaints standards. This includes a provision that firms should provide only one formal response to a complaint before it can be escalated.
They’re keen to hear your thoughts on these proposals. You can review the consultation here.
The consultation closes at 5pm on Thursday 7th November 2024.
Please send your responses to contact@enforcementconductboard.org -
Consultation on charitable non-domestic rates relief for private schools in Wales [Wales]
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Mark Drakeford MS, has launched a consultation on the Welsh Government’s proposal to withdraw charitable non-domestic rates relief from private schools, from 1 April 2025. In Wales, private schools are registered as ‘independent schools’.
The consultation sets out the Welsh Government’s proposal and asks for views.
The consultation could be found at https://www.gov.wales/charitable-non-domestic-rates-relief-private-schools
The deadline for responses is 16 December 2024.