Lisburn rates are the third lowest in NI

Rates are a tax on property that raises cash to supplement the Northern Ireland budget to support vital services such as health, education, roads, environment etc, as well as funding work carried out by District Councils, such as refuse collection, building control, economic development, leisure, recycling, street cleansing etc.

Let me explain the reality of the rates increase with regards to Belfast and Lisburn.

The domestic rate rise in Lisburn is 3.97% (0.2592 pence in the pound) while Belfast’s rise is 2.59% (0.3094 pence in the pound). This means a similar dwelling in Belfast will cost 6 pence in the pound more and where the same Net Annual Value exists in Lisburn the overall rates bill in Belfast will be 16.23 % greater in real money terms.

The non-domestic sector (business) rate rise in Belfast increased 2.6% (27.0236 pence in the pound) as opposed to Lisburn’s increase (19.7825 pence in the pound) and this clearly demonstrates that the 8 pence difference in each pound means a retail business in Belfast with the same Net Annual Value as Lisburn will cost the Belfast business 26.8% extra than the Lisburn business.

When assessing what each council area pays in rates, attention has to be paid to the penny in the pound, not the % increase year on year.

The Finance Minister Sammy Wilson is also to be commended for introducing the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme which gives a 20% rate reduction on businesses with a rateable value below £10,000.

Councillors and officials have deliberated for months on what was best for the ratepayers of Lisburn and I think the rate settlement we have achieved is the best option in the present economic climate.

As regards to rates among the 26 councils, Lisburn is the third lowest, and the lowest rates of any city in Northern Ireland Let’s work to make Lisburn a more prosperous City rather than putting a negative spin on everything the council is trying to achieve.

Alderman Allan Ewart