Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the revaluation process for business rates when commercial units are subdivided into smaller premises.

The VOA is focused on speeding up its service by upskilling its workforce so they can handle multiple types of cases, improving its digital services to make it easier for customers to self-serve, recruiting new people and moving existing staff to better meet customer demand. It is also replacing its IT systems with cloud-based platforms that will deliver significant efficiencies across its work.

In addition, it has published guidance to improve awareness and understanding of the process and information required when seeking a split of a non-domestic property. This is published on GOV.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/confirm-your-property-details#what-to-include-in-your-check-case.

The decision to move the VOA’s functions into HMRC from 1 April 2026 will help to improve the experience of taxpayers and businesses and support the delivery of the government's commitments to reform business rates and modernise the tax system.