Recommendation 18

We were pleased to hear from DBT that the connection between policy and delivery within the department has been strengthened, and feedback from local authorities is 24 Qq 67, 72 25 Qq 22, 107–112; Letter to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee from Gareth Davies, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business and Trade, 25 May 2023 26 Ev LGS0001, page 2 27 Qq 24–25 28 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.19–2.20; Qq 11 and 57 29 Ev LGS0001, page 2 30 Qq 11, 57 and 118; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.7 and 2.20 31 Qq 102–105 32 Qq 102 and 105; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.11, 2.13, and 2.25–2.26, and Figure 10 33 Qq 103; 82, 83 34 Qq 15, 102 12 Local authority administered COVID support schemes in England reaching policy teams more quickly.35 BEIS had already created a grants programme board including representatives of local authorities during 2021.36 HM Treasury wrote to us after the evidence session and informed us that the government is legislating to place a duty on businesses paying business rates to provide up-to-date information to the Valuation Office Agency after moving into a property and when there are changes to their property or rent. The intention is for this information to be shared with local authorities. In addition, a Digitalising Business Rates project is intended to connect local authority business rates data with HMRC tax data.37 Capacity to oversee grants