Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on small and medium sized businesses of the Valuation Office Agency's decision to class communal spaces such as staircases, corridors and lifts as separate premises for the calculation of business rates.

In July 2015, the Supreme Court clarified existing rating law relating to communal spaces such as staircases, corridors and lifts. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a legal duty to adapt its practices to reflect the judgment.

The VOA assesses the value of property and not the businesses that occupy the property. As such, it does not hold information on whether the occupant of a property is a small or medium business.