Decision details

Decision to Grant a Three Month Rent Holiday to Community and Voluntary Sector tenants of the Borough Council and specified commercial tenants of the Borough Council.

Context:

Coronavirus is placing extreme pressures on many sectors of society. The Government has announced various packages of support in terms of business rate reliefs, grants, loans and hardship funds.

Within the Councils statement issued on 20^th March 2020, the following statement was made at point 3 of Community Impact and Volunteering:

“In the event that the authority is given to the Chief Executive and, having already consulted the Leader of the Council and got his full support, the Chief Executive has confirmed that he then intends on 25^th March 2020 to decide that all Ipswich Borough Council’s voluntary and community sector tenants and all Ipswich Borough Council’s commercial tenants no longer able to operate due to the direct implications of the decision to close buildings they operate from (made at (1) above) - e.g. the Film Theatre and the coffee shop in the now closed Town Hall and Corn Exchange complex - will be given a three-month rent holiday by the Council covering the period April 1^st to June 30^th. The Council’s Property Team will make direct contact with all organisations that will benefit from the three month rent free period during next week (week commencing 23^rd March 2020). This support is valued at around £100,000.”

(1)    That all Ipswich Borough Council’s Voluntary and Community Sector tenants and all Ipswich Borough Council’s commercial tenants who are no longer able to operate due to the direct implications of the decision to close buildings they operate from, e.g. the coffee shop in the now closed Town Hall and Corn Exchange complex, will be given a three-month rent holiday by the Council covering the period 1 April to 30 June 2020.

Note: The list of affected premises / organisations is attached as exempt Appendix 1 and it should be noted that the total value of this is estimated at £80,766.77.

(2)    To authorise the Council’s Property Services Operations Manager to contact all the tenants for properties on the attached list and inform them of the three month rent ‘holiday’ and agree relevant arrangements with each to bring it into effect.

(3)    To exempt the above decisions from call in.

Reasons:

(a)    To provide support for the Council’s Voluntary and Community Sector Tenants

(b)    To acknowledge that separate Borough Council decisions on the use of some IBC buildings etc has meant that it became impossible for a small number of our commercial tenants to operate and the decision is an acknowledgement of those challenges

(c)    The call in exemption is justified in the circumstances of Coronavirus, providing urgent certainty for our tenants, and the fact that the likely decision has been known about by all Councillors for 5 days and not caused any concerns to be raised.