Business owner 'willing to go to jail' over rates

Botley Road has been closed at the railway bridge since April 2023

An Oxford business owner said he could be willing to go to jail after he and other traders boycotted paying their business rates because of ongoing disruption on a key route.

Botley Road has been closed since April 2023 as part of Network Rail's ongoing £161m project to upgrade Oxford Station and is expected to reopen in August 2026.

Five businesses affected by the closure stopped paying their business rates and say they will not pay them until they get further financial support.

Tom Rainey, who runs The Porter House restaurant and hotel and The Punter pub, said it was "shocking" that businesses were being charged the full amount in business rates.

He said it would "not take much brains" to create some form of exemption.

Business rates are collected by Oxford City Council on behalf of the government, which set the rates and keep most of the income. Decisions over changes to business rate charges are made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

The council says it has supported businesses in applying for hardship funding.

However, Mr Rainey said he had applied to city council's hardship fund and received no response from the authority since November.

He then found he would have to go to the VOA first to apply for relief, but his application was refused.

Despite making two appeals to VOA's decision, he has still not heard anything.

Tom Rainey said it "not take much brains" to give affected businesses some form of exemption

"We are just passed around in this vicious circle because no-one actually cares," Mr Rainey said.

"I find it more stomach-wrenching that we are actually paying business rates than the money we are losing.

"Oxford City Council is giving us absolutely nothing, and the VOA is just a waiting game. They are hiding behind bureaucracy.

"Not one person has offered us anything, and therefore we believe the only option is to make a stand."

The city council has not acted yet but Mr Rainey said he expected them to produce paperwork within the next few weeks.

"Knowing the city council, they will have us in the magistrates' court by May." he added.

While he admitted it was "a bit extreme", he said: "If I end up with a jail term, then I would accept that".

The group of traders, who are part of the Botley Road Independent Traders Association (BRITA), include The Porter House, The Punter, First Stop Spannerworks, The Westgate Hotel and Pack & Send.

Zack Iqbal, owner of First Stop Spannerworks, said he would take part in the boycott to "highlight the strain that Botley Road businesses are under".

An Oxford City Council spokesperson said: "The council understands the seriously negative impact that the long-term disruption of Botley Road is having on local businesses and is committed to doing what it can to help, within the limits of its powers.

"The council is responsible for collecting business rates on behalf of the government, which then retains the majority of the income. The rate is also set by central government.

"Decisions on changes to business rate charges are made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) through an independent process, with each case assessed on its own merits."

A VOA spokesperson said: "We cannot comment on individual cases.

"If there has been a change to a property or its surrounding area, a business can report this to us, and we will assess if the rateable value should be reduced.

"We encourage any business who thinks that their rateable value is too high to let us know using our online service."