§ 58. Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce mandatory rate relief for voluntary sports clubs.
§ Mr. AtkinsPresent arrangements allow local authorities to award discretionary rate relief of up to 100 per cent. to non-profit making bodies—such as voluntary sports clubs. The Government have considered mandatory rate relief, but believe that local authorities are best placed to assess the benefits that local communities derive from sports clubs and should, therefore, be allowed to tailor rate relief accordingly.