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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason he has not designated a business rates pool for any local authorities in Dorset for 2017-18; and what steps Dorset local authorities need to take to have a business rates pool for 2018-19.

Since 2013/14 and the introduction of the Business Rates Retention Scheme, authorities in the Dorset County area have not sought designation as a pool.

Under the current arrangement for business rates retention, authorities who wish to form a business rates pool must seek designation before publication of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement and must satisfy the Government that they have practical arrangements in place for managing the pool and sharing risk and reward.