Business Rates Revaluation 2017

Business rates are changing from April 2017. Love Wimbledon urges businesses to review your draft business rateable value now to allow for appeal and preparation for any changes to be reflected in your budgets.

This comes from the government website:
‘At revaluation, the government adjusts the value of business rates to reflect changes in the property market. It usually happens every 5 years. The most recent revaluation came into effect in England and Wales on 1 April 2010, based on rateable values from 1 April 2008.’

So from April 2017, the business rates that you pay on your business premises are likely to change. The proposed draft rateable values were published on Friday 30 September and can be viewed by postcode or street name and town here (although Wimbledon is not recognised as a town!)

It is important to note at this stage that the multiplier (the percentage that is applied to your rateable value to define the actual cost of your business rates) is also an estimate. However, you can receive an estimate of your business rates from the same website based on the current multiplier.

If any of the details are incorrect on the website you are able to inform the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) of any changes which will then impact upon the business rates payable. Changes may relate to the number of floors and purpose of each floor or any internal modifications that you may have made.

Be part of London Food Month this June

London Evening Standard is excited to launch a major new food festival to be held annually from June 2017. A month-long celebration filled with hundreds of events throughout the world’s culinary capital. Creative directors Grace Dent and Tom Parker Bowles will curate a vibrant showcase of the culinary diversity across every corner of London. Fay Maschler, Britain’s longest-standing and respected restaurant critic, will be selecting her 50 favourite places to eat.

Love Wimbledon is encouraging town centre venues to get involved in this high-profile opportunity to publicise events and experiences across our town centre and benefit from a £5million marketing and public relations campaign across London Evening Standard’s platforms, social media and partners.

London Food Month will promote special collaborations, and unique experiences across the industry to offer a programme of must-see, eat and drink events. From high-end dinners to free community events, old favourites done differently to the latest lunch hotspots, it will have something for everyone. London’s leading restaurants, chefs, bars, cafés, charities, hotels and markets are invited to participate in London Food Month by holding a special event or experience. You can host an event at your own venue or partner with another.

All London Food Month events will be listed in the London Food Month programme that will be distributed with the London Evening Standard.

Visit the London Food Month website for details and register by Wednesday 22 March to take part.

Dementia Friendly Merton

A new campaign has been launched calling on residents and businesses to help make Merton a Dementia Friendly borough by 2020. It is estimated that more than 2,000 people are likely to be living with dementia in Merton by that time.

Dementia Friendly Merton is supported by Merton Council, Merton Clinical Commissioning Group and the Alzheimer’s Society. Love Wimbledon is encouraging Wimbledon businesses and organisations to get involved and learn more about how to help people with dementia in Wimbledon Town Centre. Those interested in getting involved should email Love Wimbledon’s Chief Executive, Helen Clark Bell: helencb@lovewimbledon.org

Merton residents can also sign up for a free 45-minute training course, which promotes understanding of dementia and the small ways which can make a difference to people with dementia. For more information on Dementia Friendly Merton, please visit the Merton Council website.

BAFTA for Curzon’s Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

The Curzon Group has been awarded this year’s BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.

Dame Pippa Harris, chair of Bafta’s Film Committee, said: “I am thrilled that Bafta is honouring Curzon with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award. For over 80 years, Curzon has provided the British public with unforgettable cinema experiences, while championing independent, art house and foreign language film-making. I would like to thank everyone at Curzon for their extraordinary contribution to our industry, and for their unwavering commitment to bringing the very best in film to audiences across the UK.”

Philip Knatchbull, Curzon’s chief executive, said he was “delighted” at the award.

“Curzon has a long and proud history in the British film industry and many talented and passionate people have contributed to its success story over the years. We think of ourselves as champions of bold and visionary film-making from around the world supported by our growing network of cinemas and home cinema digital platforms.”

Founded by Harold Wingate, Curzon’s first cinema opened in Mayfair in 1934. The Group imported unknown films during the post-war period and evolved successfully over the ensuing decades,  meeting the changing demands of audiences and the challenges of a dynamic film industry. Curzon is known as a place to discover other worlds and cultures and to see from a different perspective, with films that spark conversations and provoke reflection.

HMV Curzon Wimbledon is at 23 The Broadway, SW19 1RE. Click here to see their current screenings.