Councillors grant Moray ex-service club rates relief
Lossiemouth’s Royal Naval Association branch set to save more than £7,000 a year
Published:
A MORAY club for ex-servicemen and women will save more than £7,000 a year after councillors agreed to grant them relief from paying non-domestic rates.
The Royal Naval Association’s branch in Lossiemouth said they were pleased with the Moray councillors’ decision, which went against legal advice. Moray Council’s chief financial officer had recommended refusal of the application on the grounds that the Royal Naval Association operated a private members’ social club.
He said that the club earned most of its income from the sale of alcohol, which, according to legislation brought into effect in 1994, prevented it from qualifying for a discount.
In February, councillors set a precedent when they ignored officials’ advice and granted rates relief to Royal British Legion clubs in the area.
Yesterday’s decision means that taxpayers will pay 25% of the rates, amounting to £1,889, while the rest will come from a national “pool”.
Secretary Tony Stowe said: “This is a big saving for us. We are not struggling, but the smoking ban means that we have had to graft to make ends meet.”
He said that members paid £12.50 in fees, of which £10 was sent to their London headquarters, and then distributed to charity.
The club was founded as the Royal Naval Old Comrades Club by local trawlermen returning from service in the Royal Navy Patrol Service and coastal minesweeping duties. Today it has more than 400 members.
