The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on the need for a universal definition of ‘care experience’ and what the potential impacts of this could be.
In response to its commitment to keep The Promise, The Scottish Government Keeping the Promise Implementation Plan set out the cross-Government actions and policies that will be taken to bring about the transformational change required to keep the Promise by 2030. This includes a commitment to work with partners across Scotland, including The Promise Scotland, to develop a universal and inclusive definition of ‘care experience’ so that more people can understand and identify with it.
The consultation paper can be found at: Developing a universal definition of 'care experience': consultation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). Responses are requested via the Scottish Government’s consultation hub Citizen Space, which can be accessed online Developing a Universal Definition of ‘Care Experience’.
Closing date for responses is 8 January 2025.
The Welsh Government are seeking views on draft Regulations on Council Tax for HMOs in Wales.
They are consulting on draft Regulations:-
To ensure HMOs are banded as a single property with 1 Council Tax band.
To ensure the HMO owner remains liable for Council Tax.
To achieve this, they are proposing to disapply the Council Tax (Chargeable Dwellings) Order 1992 and the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992 in relation to Wales and make the Council Tax (Chargeable dwellings) (Wales) Regulations 2025 and the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) (Wales) Regulations 2025.
The new Regulations would replicate the existing provisions and include new provisions so that HMO properties are aggregated and treated as a single dwelling for Council Tax purposes. The Regulations would also expand the prescribed class of HMO for which the owner is responsible for paying Council Tax. Regulation 4 of the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) (Wales) Regulations 2025 transfers the liability to pay Council Tax to the person who has the most inferior interest (whether freehold or leasehold) in the whole of the dwelling or, where there is no such person, the freeholder of the whole or any part of the dwelling, rather than to the owner.
The consultation can be found at https://www.gov.wales/valuation-houses-multiple-occupation-hmos-council-tax.
Closing date for responses is 26 November 2024.
This consultation paper covers four key areas on the Enforcement Conduct Board’s (ECB) approach to complaints:
In Part A:
i) The Guidance that accompanies the Standards for Complaints.
In Part B:
i) The ECB’s Complaints Handling Process.
ii) The ECB’s Guide to Remedy.
iii) The ECB’s Decision Review Process.
In Part C, this consultation paper also covers the ECB’s rules and process for determining whether to impose Sanctions on enforcement firms for non-compliance with the ECB standards. This follows on from its recent standards consultation.
Following this consultation, ECB will refine and finalise its approach to complaints and sanctions, prior to launching them in advance of them coming fully into effect from January 2025.
The consultation can be found at https://enforcementconductboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Consultation-on-ECB-approach-to-Complaints-Handling-and-Sanctions.pdf.
Closing date for responses is 7 November 2024 (5.00pm).
In November, the ECB will open the window for local authorities to apply for the accreditation of their in-house enforcement teams with the ECB. A Q&A document explains what accreditation will mean and covers the key arguments and benefits of accreditation. It also clarifies two issues raised by a number of councils during IRRV forums earlier in the summer: the ECB levy for accreditation; and whether the ECB will handle complaints against in-house teams.
The document can be found at https://www.irrv.net/documents/weblinks/2024/8/ECB%20accreditation%20and%20LAs%20Final%20July%202024.pdf
The ECB wishes to encourage as many local authorities with in-house teams as possible to apply for accreditation. It will be happy to answer any further questions councils have about accreditation. Please contact the ECB Director of Creditors and Government David Parkin at David.Parkin@enforcementconductboard.org. The ECB will set out more details on the actual application process in the Autumn.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Mark Drakeford MS, has launched a consultation on the Welsh Government’s proposal to withdraw charitable non-domestic rates relief from private schools, from 1 April 2025. In Wales, private schools are registered as ‘independent schools’.
The consultation sets out the Welsh Government’s proposal and asks for views.
The consultation can be found at https://www.gov.wales/charitable-non-domestic-rates-relief-private-schools.
The deadline for responses is 16 December 2024.
A library containing Institute responses to Consultations, Inquiries, Surveys etc. can be found at https://www.irrv.net/homenew/item.php?wid=20&iid=27496.
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