Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when town, parish and other local authority bodies will receive reimbursement for their business rates as a result of the Public Lavatories (non-domestic ratings) Act 2021.

The Non-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 29 April. The Act provides a 100 per cent business rates relief for eligible separately-assessed public toilets in England. This relief applies retrospectively from 1 April 2020.

As with other business rates reliefs, local billing authorities are responsible for putting in place the arrangements to award this relief. Owners or operators of public toilets, including local authorities, that consider that they may be eligible for the relief should contact their billing authority about any refunds which may be due. The Government will compensate billing authorities for income lost as a result of awarding the relief.