Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the business rates appeal system Check, Challenge, Appeal.

Official statistics published by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) on 22 August show that the system is operating as intended with issues being resolved at the appropriate stage. At 30 June 2019, 100,740 Checks and 17,010 Challenges had been registered, of which 89,440 Checks and 6,300 Challenges had been resolved. Most Checks are currently being resolved in 3 months and most Challenges within 12 months.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government intends to carry out a review of the effectiveness of the Check, Challenge, Appeal system. The VOA is also conducting a customer evaluation of the delivery of the new system.