The Council of the EU has agreed its position on a proposal for a revised directive on the energy performance of buildings. The aim of the proposal is to promote energy efficiency in buildings and to support cost-effective building renovation with a view to the …
Business rates information letter published
Following the consultation (to which the Alliance responded) on discretionary business rate relief, DCLG has published a letter which provides information on how Local Authorities should implement the discretionary business rate relief announced at the Budget, supporting small businesses and the new business rate relief …
OTS recommendations evaluated
The OTS has carried out a review of 79 previous recommendations and provides an update. The areas looked at are: Employment Status Employee benefits and expenses Competitiveness Report Partnerships Tax reliefs Penalties Unapproved share schemes Pensioners project Reliefs (separate exercise for the Financial Secretary to …
Latest Cultural Protection Fund grants announced
The £30m Cultural Protection Fund set up by DCMS and managed by the British Council celebrates its first full year with 19 projects in countries affected by conflict, to rebuild, restore and protect their heritage. The latest round of grants is announced with major awards …
A History of England in 100 Places
Historic England is seeking nominations to create a list of the 100 buildings and places that tell England’s remarkable story – and its impact on the world. Make a nomination. There are ten themes to choose from including Science & Discovery, Travel & Tourism, and …
HMRC publishes new Social Investment Tax Relief guidance
HMRC has published new guidance on social investment tax relief (SITR) scheme. This is designed to help raise money to support the trading activity of a social enterprise or charity by offering investors tax relief on their investment if qualifying conditions are met. The scheme …
UNESCO concern over Liverpool World Heritage Site
SAVE Britain’s Heritage [Alliance member] has stated that papers prepared for the July 2017 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting contain the strongest warning to date that Liverpool risks losing its coveted ‘World Heritage’ status in 2018, unless the UK Government makes major corrective changes to …
Business Rates valuation for museums
As we have previously reported AIM [Alliance member] has been campaigning for a fairer way of calculating business rates and recently helped fund legal advice for an Upper Tribunal case involving York Museum and Gallery Trust (YMT) because of its implications for many other museums, …
Nominate a new Heritage Action Zone
Historic England has reopened applications for its Heritage Action Zone initiative which aims to improve economic growth and quality of life in communities across England by breathing new life into lovely old places. With ten Heritage Action Zones already up and running from Appleby in …
High Court quashes Inspector’s decision to allow building on the Kedleston Estate
The High Court has found in favour of a request for a judicial review of the decision made by the Planning Inspectorate to grant planning permission for 400 houses in the setting of Grade 1 listed Kedleston Hall. The Inspector had concluded that there had …
UK government publishes proposals on rights of EU citizens
The Government has published a policy paper to make clear the UK’s ‘fair and serious offer’ to maintain EU citizens’ rights, which will be enshrined in UK law. Our Brexit Briefing stresses that there are significant numbers of non-UK EU citizens that work in the …
Conservative and DUP Agreement to look at VAT’s impact on tourism
The Confidence and Supply Agreement between the Conservative and Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party has been published. This states that ‘a detailed consultative report will be commissioned into the impact of VAT and Air Passenger Duty (APD) on tourism on Northern Ireland to …