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Written Question
Revenue and Customs and Valuation Office Agency
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in what locations the (a) Valuation Office Agency and (b) HM Revenue and Customs have offices; and whether any offices are shared.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Full details of the current office locations for VOA and HMRC are set out in the tables below:

HMRC offices

Location

Shared with VOA (Marked with a X)

Belfast, Erskine House/Carne House

Birmingham, Arena Central

X

Bristol, Glass Wharf

X

Cardiff, TY William Morgan

X

Croydon, Ruskin Square

X

Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth House

X

Glasgow, Atlantic Square

X

Leeds,7&8 Wellington Place

X

Liverpool, India Buildings

Manchester, Three New Bailey

X

Newcastle, Benton Park View

X

Nottingham, Unity Square

X

Portsmouth, Lynx House

Stratford, Westfield Avenue

Dover, Priory Court

Gartcosh, Scottish Crime Campus

Ipswich, Brook Lawrence House

Telford, Plaza 1 & 2

Swansea, Sandringham Park

Worthing, Teville Gate House

X

Bradford, Centenary Court

Manchester, Trinity Bridge House

Washington, Waterview Park

East Kilbride, Queensway House

London, Parliament Street

Porthmadog, Ty Thedford

Preston, St Mark’s and St Mary’s

X

Reading, Premier House

VOA offices

Aberdeen, Union Point

Cambridge, Eastbrook

Canary Wharf, 10 South Colonnade

Carmarthen, St Davids Park

Colchester, The Octagon

Durham, Wycliffe House

Eastbourne, St Annes House

Exeter, The Senate

Folkestone, Palting House

Hull, Earle House

Inverness, River House

Lancaster, Mitre House

Merseyside, Redgrave Court

Norwich, Rosebery Court

Oxford, Avalon House

Plymouth, Crownhill Court

Sheffield, Greenfield House

Southampton, Mountbatten House

St Austell, Penhaligon House

Stoke on Trent, Bennet House

Swansea, Swansea Civil Centre

Wembley, Brent Civil Centre

Wrexham, Yale Business Village


Written Question
Revenue and Customs and Valuation Office Agency: Remote Working
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average office attendance is for (a) Valuation Office Agency and (b) HM Revenue and Customs staff, adjusting for VOA work that requires off-site visits.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

For the period of March 2025, 67% of VOA people attended the office as expected, once off-site adjustments are considered. For the same period, 80% of HMRC people (excluding VOA) did so.


Written Question
Business Rates and Council Tax: Valuation
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many outstanding (a) council tax and (b) business rate challenges are still open and unresolved in relation to (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25 in (A) England and (B) Wales.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publishes official statistics for England and Wales on Non-domestic Rating and Council Tax: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency/about/statistics

The VOA published an update for business rates on 8 May 2025. This includes the number of outstanding cases from the 2017 and 2023 Rating Lists in England and Wales. They can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-challenges-and-changes-2017-and-2023-rating-lists-march-2025

The latest published data for Council Tax is 2023-24.

Valuation Office Agency: Council Tax statistics - GOV.UK


Written Question
Valuation Office Agency: Staff
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff the Valuation Office Agency employs; and whether she has set a target for a reduction to that number.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As of the 30 April 2025, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) employs 4,005 staff, which equates to 3,749.71 full-time employees. In addition, the VOA employs 88 contingent labour workers.

The VOA has no current plans to reduce the workforce.


Written Question
Chinese Embassy
Thursday 15th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has had discussions with the Bank of England on the proposed Chinese Embassy in London.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Treasury officials hold regular discussions with the Bank of England across various financial and economic matters. A final decision on the application for the new Chinese embassy in Tower Hamlets will be made in due course by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government in her independent, quasi-judicial role. As such, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the case.


Written Question
Bank Services: Vetting
Thursday 15th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45654 on Bank Services: Vetting, what her planned timetable is for issuing revised guidance on Political Exposed Persons.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has been working closely with the FCA to follow up on the findings of its review into the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) by financial institutions and to ensure firms improve their practices where necessary. The FCA expects that the revised guidance will be published and brought into effect this summer.


Written Question
Council Tax: Wales
Thursday 15th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15200 on Council Tax: Wales, when the Valuation Office Agency will publish this information.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) published the information on gov.uk on 31 March 2025:

How model assisted valuation delivers large-scale property valuations - GOV.UK – A high level overview of how the VOA uses model assisted valuation and mass appraisal to support large-scale valuation. This links through to further information:

External assurance of the VOA automated valuation model (AVM): VOA response - GOV.UK - This page sets out the VOA response to external review and assurance of the VOA AVM developed to support Wales Council Tax reform.

More_information_on_mass_appraisal_and_AVM.pdf - More information on how the VOA is using mass appraisal to support Council Tax reform in Wales and on the AVM.

Model_specification_document.pdf – A document setting out the data utilised in development of the AVM for a future revaluation of Council Tax in Wales, as well as the core spatial regression model specification and an overview of the comparables model.


Written Question
Shops: Valuation
Wednesday 7th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41059 on Energy: Shops, whether Energy Performance Certificate is a positive material consideration for the Valuation Office Agency in the (a) council tax banding and (b) valuation of a property.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The impact of Energy Performance Certificates alone is unlikely to be significant in increasing a property’s Council Tax band. To band a property for Council Tax the Listing Officer of the VOA assesses a property’s value as being within a broad range of values as at 1 April 1991 in England, and 1 April 2003 in Wales. Whether a property has an Energy Performance Certificate is one of the many factors that may be taken into consideration but unless the value is close to the boundary between two bands, the effect of any energy efficient improvements is unlikely to result in a higher band.

Valuation of a property for other purposes may have regard to any Energy Performance Certificate relating to the property. Whether it is a material consideration will depend on the purpose of the valuation and the circumstances of the case.


Written Question
Housing: Valuation
Wednesday 7th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Valuation Office Agency obtains data on plot sizes of the (a) curtilage and (b) square area of a dwelling.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The VOA refers to scaled plans and maps when determining the plot size or ‘curtilage’ of a dwelling.

The square area of a dwelling may be calculated by direct measurement of the actual property. The VOA will also use scaled plans and may refer to the dimensions of a ‘house type’ when dealing with new housing developments, which comprise multiple dwellings of the same design.


Written Question
Housing: Business Rates and Council Tax
Wednesday 7th May 2025

Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office Agency backdates decisions on whether accommodation is liable for (a) council tax and (b) business rates.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The date from when liability for Council Tax and/or business rates takes effect is set out in legislation.

There are some circumstances when the legislation requires the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to backdate the liability and others when the VOA must not do so. This principle applies to both Council Tax and business rates assessments.