Met Police facing huge hikes in business rates burden

It comes at a time of unprecedented pressure on the Met’s resources.
Anthony Devlin/PA
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Scores of London police stations face huge hikes in their business rates burden, according to analysis — at a time of unprecedented pressure on the Met’s resources.

The total annual bill payable on the Met’s 152 police stations and other major buildings rose by almost a quarter, from £17.92 million in the last financial year to £22.39 million this year, following the Government’s revaluation in April.

That will amount to an extra £22.35 million in tax over the next five years, at a time when the capital’s force faces the threat of further terrorist attacks and possible budget cuts.

Mark Rigby, chief executive of business rent and rates specialist CVS, which compiled the figures, said: “London has been adversely affected by the revaluation of business rates.

“The tax rise for police stations in the capital translates to a real-term funding cut at a time when financial resources are already stretched. No provision has been made by the Government to raise budgets of the emergency services to take into account additional tax liabilities imposed centrally.”

Seven of the 10 biggest business rate bills in the country are levied on police stations in London. Charing Cross police station has the highest annual bill, of £1.1 million. Over five years the extra amount of tax due on the station, one of the busiest in the country, will total almost £410,000.

The biggest increase was levied on Lewisham police station. Its annual bill went up by almost half in April from £510,435 to £747,680.

The Metropolitan Police is in talks to secure more funding after being left “stretched” by terror attacks and a rise in violent crime, according to Commissioner Cressida Dick.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the Met has already had to make £600 million of savings and was due to lose an extra £400 million by 2020.

But Met sources said the closure and sales of stations and other buildings in its estate will result in its overall business rates bill going down.

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