Member

I now turn to Amendment 3 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Bybrook, which seeks to give local authorities discretion over the application of the higher multiplier. As I set out, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the relevant properties are charged using the appropriate multiplier, as set out in the legislation; and the Bill will not affect the wide powers that local authorities have to award discretionary rate relief, as per Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. Those powers already allow local authorities to devise and deliver their own relief schemes without the intervention of central government where the authority is satisfied that this would be reasonable, having had regard to the interest of its council tax payers. Once this Bill has come into force, local authorities will be able to use their discretionary powers to provide relief, should they so choose, to offset any impact of the new higher multiplier. As such, Amendment 3 is unnecessary.