To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment has been made of the appropriateness of the methodology for calculating business rates for petrol stations.

I have been asked to reply.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) keeps all its rating methodologies under constant review to ensure they provide accurate valuations.

Following meetings with representatives of the petrol station industry, in which new information was provided, adjustments have been made to some of the figures used within the methodology for valuing petrol stations for non-domestic rating purposes. As a result the VOA will shortly be issuing revised valuations.