2006 No. 495

RATING AND VALUATION, ENGLAND

The Central Rating List (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

The First Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 53(1), (2), (4), (4A) and (5), 64(3), 65(4) and 143(1) and (2) of the Local Government Finance Act 19881, makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Central Rating List (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006 and shall come into force on 1st April 2006.

Amendment of the Central Rating List (England) Regulations 20052

The Central Rating List (England) Regulations 20052 are amended in regulation 8(3) by substituting “2008” for “2006”.

Signed by authority of the First Secretary of State

Phil WoolasMinister of StateOffice of the Deputy Prime Minister

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend regulation 8 of the Central Rating List (England) Regulations 2005 (“the 2005 Regulations”).

Under sections 53, 64(3) and 65(4) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, the 2005 Regulations prescribe the hereditaments which are to be listed on central rating lists compiled on or after 1st April 2005 and designate the persons who will be considered to be in occupation of those hereditaments for the purposes of rating.

Regulation 8 of the 2005 Regulations is concerned with telecommunications hereditaments. It specifies that British Telecommunications plc (“BT”) shall be treated as in occupation of a single hereditament comprising property which it occupies or owns, such as telephone kiosks and masts, and all unbundled local loops. An unbundled local loop exists where the copper wire connection between the local telephone exchange and the customer’s premises is disconnected from BT’s network and connected to an alternative service provider’s network. Regulation 8(3) provides that unbundled local loops will cease to form part of this single hereditament on 1st April 2006 and so BT would cease to be treated as in occupation of them on that date.

These Regulations amend regulation 8(3) of the 2005 Regulations so that BT will continue to be treated as being in occupation of unbundled local loops until 1st April 2008.