Scottish Ratepayers Forum
The original Scottish Ratepayers Forum was established in 2003 to improve communication between business and Assessors and promote understanding of the rating system in Scotland. Representatives of business organisations, Scottish Government and the SAA met regularly for this purpose.
In 2017 the SAA reviewed its consultation framework to increase accessibility and widen reach. The SAA review was completed by 1 December 2017 and concluded that the consultation framework should include two forums one dedicated to industry and trade bodies and one dedicated to rating professionals so that both rating professionals and trade/industry bodies have direct access to the SAA Executive and Scottish Government officials through the re-launched Scottish Ratepayers Forum (SRF) and a new Scottish Rating Surveyors Forum (SRSF) that would be dedicated to rating surveyors who represent trade/industry bodies and individual ratepayers.
The two-forum consultation model came about through a desire to ensure that all parties had the benefit of direct access and dialogue with stakeholders along with the opportunity for discussion and debate.
The remit of the Scottish Ratepayers Forum is to provide an opportunity for ratepayers and representative industry bodies to meet directly with representatives from the Scottish Assessors Association, government, finance and related bodies. The purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas, improve understanding and facilitate dialogue between stakeholders. The forum is chaired by the SAA and the business will be focussed around lands valuation assessment issues for NDR. Wider NDR issues will also be within the remit of the forum.
Membership of the SRF is open to trade and industry bodies although in the interests of fairness, surveyors who act as agents for a number of ratepayers should attend the Scottish Rating Surveyors Forum rather than the Scottish Ratepayers Forum.
The remit of the SRSF is to provide an opportunity for rating surveyors to meet directly with representatives from the Scottish Assessors Association, government, finance and related bodies such as the water industry. The purpose of the forum is to provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas, improve understanding and facilitate dialogue between stakeholders. This forum is also chaired by the SAA and the business will be focussed around lands valuation assessment issues for NDR. Wider NDR issues will also be within the remit of the forum.
Membership of the SRSF is open to rating surveyors who represent trade/industry bodies and individual ratepayers.
The first meeting of the re-launched SRF and the new SRSF took place on 29 January 2018. The minutes will be published on this website.
