This is due to greedy Medway council charging extortionate sums of money for business rates!!
We were a small local family run business trying to support the local community by providing pottery painting and arts and craft activities and supplies to people of all ages. We traded for over two years and in all of this time we had been in contact with the council trying to apply for rate relief. This fell on deaf ears and it seems that the council would rather force a business to go bust rather than actually do anything to help.
Every time we spoke to the council and explain that this is putting us out of business, you simply get the answer, if payment isn’t made then we will pursue the debt. We put in so much to try to do something for the local community and for a long term investment for the girls. We worked so hard and gave so much of our lives to this business. Thanks to the council, all this is lost.
One thing that the council never answers is the fact that a shop next door to us (not a charity) and is exactly the same size as our shop, pay conciderably less that us in business rates! Due to the freedom of information act, a list of every business in Medway can be downloaded and you can see what the rateable value of the premises is and in turn how much they pay in business rates.
Below shows how much we had to pay and how much the shop next door pays:
| Full Property Address | Primary Liable party name | Primary Liable Party Contact Add | Property Reference Number | Account Start date | Total Liability | NDR Valuation Description | Current Rateable Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15b, Rainham Shopping Centre, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 7HW | Pound Nation Ltd | N/A | 5628002510 | 06/05/2016 | 7,114.00 | SHOP AND PREMISES | 15500 |
| 15c, Rainham Shopping Centre, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 7HW | The Bookmark Educational Trust Ltd | N/A | 5628002610 | 22/03/2013 | 1,528.30 | SHOP AND PREMISES | 15500 |
You will notice that although the rateable value is the same, the amount the council charge is much, much lower!!!, why is this???