RADICAL plans to allow local councils to set business rates could hit Barnsley hard - to the tune of £46m - and 'widen the gap' between north and south, the leader of Barnsley Council has warned.
About 6,400 properties in Barnsley are subject to the rates, which are a tax on business properties set by government.
The charges collected by Barnsley Council are used to help pay for other local services it provides. At present, local councils can keep up to 50 per cent of rates, as is the case in Barnsley, with the rest going to Westminster to be pooled together and redistributed via a grant.
But this week Chancellor George Osborne revealed an overhaul of the £26bn business rates system during his speech at the Conservative conference in Manchester.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton voiced concern over the plan and said it could be a game-changer for Barnsley.
• Full story in the Barnsley Chronicle issue dated October 9, 2015.
