The head of rating services at chartered surveyor and property consultancy Sanderson Weatherall has been elected as the 106th president of the Rating Surveyors’ Association for 2015-16.
Robert Brown, who is originally from Scarborough and now lives in Harrogate, was presented with the official chain of office at a dinner at The Royal College of Surgeons in Lincolns Inn, London. He is the first Yorkshireman working in Yorkshire to hold the prestigious position in living memory.
Having served as vice-president of the Rating Surveyors’ Association (RSA) for the past year, Mr Brown said he was looking forward to a busy year in office as the association prepares for the next rating revaluation due to take place in 2017.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Brown said:
It is a great honour to become president at a crucial time for the Association. A review of the business rates system in England is currently taking place, with its findings expected in time for the Budget in 2016. This review will hopefully pave the way for genuine reform of a system which has been in place for many years and has struggled to keep up with changing market trends.
Despite sensationalist headlines that the system is alleged to be broken, it is in fact sufficiently robust and should be retained albeit in a format which is more flexible and responsive to the modern economic landscape.
The Rating Surveyors’ Association represents the interests of experienced chartered surveyors who specialise in the field of business rates and can demonstrate that they comply with the highest of professional standards. The Association was founded in 1909 and has more than 450 members nationwide drawn from private practice, corporate bodies, the Valuation Office Agency and local authorities.
Mr Brown is a partner at the Leeds office of Sanderson Weatherall and is an expert in the rating valuation of specialist properties including car showrooms, motor auction centres, film and television studios, educational properties and leisure attractions.
Sanderson Weatherall has regional offices in Leeds, Newcastle, Teesside, Darlington, York, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter and London, employs around 200 people and has a turnover of £14m.
The firm provides a complete range of property, machinery and business asset services across a range of sectors. These comprise retail, residential, offices, industrial, leisure, roadside, healthcare, public sector and third sector.
