York’s Micklegate traders in crisis meeting

Businesses say they are being crippled by higher rateable values on their properties, at a time when they are already being hit by the recession. They say that to challenge their assessments, some are having to spend even more money on paying professionals to lodge a proper appeal.

Micklegate sub-postmaster Paul Abbott said the rateable value of his property had initially been raised from £6,900 to £9,700, and he knew of several local businesses which were worried about the future. A spokesman for Rumours bar said its business rates were increasing when it was already being hit by both the recession and the bad winter weather.

The Reverend Richard Seed, who is the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Micklegate as well as Archdeacon of York, said the street already had empty businesses, with one former restaurant having lain empty for almost two years, and he feared more could shut.

The meeting at Brigantes pub starts at 7.30pm.

A spokesman for the Valuation Office Agency, which determines the rateable values of business properties, said: “Revaluation was designed to maintain fairness by ensuring rateable values reflected changes in the rental market.

He said an increase in rateable value did not necessarily mean an increase in the bill, and help was offered to those most affected through the transitional relief scheme, which limited individual changes in annual bills.