'Rainfall tax' on schools, churches and charities could bring dark clouds

School head David Nichols faces a delicate balancing act each year in organising his budget but is now preparing for a new financial headache - from the skies.

Britain is infamous for its rain-sodden climate, and it is the new plans to deal with the annual deluge that are proving controversial.

Water companies calculate that the rainfall run-off from properties across the country costs £700m a year to deal with.

Firms have to pay for the cost of dealing with the run-off from their premises, a charge based on their rateable value.

Now, the system is to be changed, with all non-domestic properties being charged on the size of their site area instead of the rateable value of the property.
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Churches, charities and clubs, which often had a zero rateable value, may have sites as large as multi-million-pound companies, so their water bills could soar.

The change, already introduced by United Utilities in the north west, with a consequent increase in bills, is set to be introduced in the Severn Trent Water area, which includes most of Derbyshire, from next year.

Littleover Community School pays £2,000 a month for its water supply and removal.

But head Mr Nichols does not think that the bill involves an amount for surface water drainage.

See rest of article at Source:-Evening Telegraph