Debate contribution: Unpaid Rates

Debate contribution by Miss Deirdre Hargey on 21 October 2025.

MLA

Miss Deirdre Hargey

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

21 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Unpaid Rates

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5197672

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the proposer of the motion, which raises important issues. Sinn Féin fully recognises that rates are a vital source of public revenue. They are the only form of taxation that is available to us here, and that means that we have to look at this critically. We have to get the system right and ensure that rates are collected fairly, efficiently and in a way that supports rather than burdens families and local businesses. That has been the Minister's priority. Years of Tory austerity have seen public services ripped apart and stripped of vital resources and funding, and global economic uncertainty and failures have contributed to increased pressures on many households here in meeting their essential needs, particularly as we are going through another cost-of-living crisis. Many businesses have also faced difficulties, while some have failed. Like households, businesses have struggled under the pressure. The Minister of Finance is taking real and practical steps to tackle those challenges and is ensuring that the most vulnerable are not further impacted on. First, the 2024-25 period saw the highest-ever level of rates collected here in the North. That is a positive note that reflects the focused work of the Department and LPS to improve billing, collections and recovery. In the previous financial year, £1·63 billion in rates was collected. The Minister has also ensured that support for those who need it most has been maintained and strengthened. That includes the continuation of rural ATMs to help sustain that important local service in rural communities, which we as a Committee have heard about in recent months; ongoing rates relief for low-income households; and protection from excessive burdens for the most vulnerable in our communities and families. The Finance Minister has overseen an overview of the strategic review of the rating system that examines the system in its entirety and looks at the forms of relief that are offered, vacant property charges and other issues. The Finance Committee has had briefings on the reform programme in the past couple of months and even in the past week. The Finance Minister has also engaged with the Committee and is due in front of it again before the Christmas recess.

Sinn Féin welcomes the Minister's forward-looking approach, which recognises that, while the system for collection of rates must improve, it must also be fair, transparent, adapted to the realities that ratepayers face and must ensure that the most vulnerable are protected. Those with the broadest shoulders have a responsibility to bear some of the burden, and there is a question to be asked about how to go about that in a fair and balanced way: those with a bigger income and bigger home need to pay higher rates, and we need to look at more mitigations for those who are struggling to meet their bills. One of the most important points that I will make today is about balance. As the Minister outlined, nearly £13 million is currently being repaid through active payment plans, helping people to meet their obligations in a manageable way that can be responsible for government pursuing what is owed without punishing people who are already struggling. It is simply unfair that many families and businesses pay their rates on time, often under great financial pressure, while others avoid that responsibility. That undermines confidence in the system. Not all unpaid rates are the result of avoidance or unwillingness to pay, however. It can be down to some of the realities of the cost of living that people face, which I spoke about, and to the impact that the interventions that the British Government have made have on our small and medium-sized businesses. There must be a balanced solution that includes enforcement and recovery, where appropriate, but also compassion and support, putting in support measures for those who struggle to pay. That is the approach that Sinn Féin sees and that Minister O'Dowd is delivering. When we look at the full picture in context, we see that the numbers tell a different story. Over the past six years, more than £8 billion has been collected, with uncollected amounts totalling around 2%. We are aware that arrears are reducing. As I said, last year, we saw the biggest increase in rates collection. That shows that the interventions that are being introduced work. Addressing the issue of unpaid rates is not about blame; it is about responsibility and solutions, recognising that progress is being made. We all want to build a fairer and stronger rates system that supports public services and, importantly, treats people with dignity.

Thank you.

765 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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