The Cats That Got the Cream

Original 2004 Rateable Value – £20,000
Agreed 2004 Rateable Value – £16,500

Should the receipts for conservation work abroad fall into and be included in the rating assessment? And, what about the donations given as a result of a successful TV series – those too? By skilfully appealing Isle of Wight Zoo’s rating assessment, Roderick Bisset of BMH has indirectly helped to ensure that more money is available to be invested in Big Cat conservation projects abroad!

So, what is the organisation that we are talking about? It’s the Isle of Wight Zoo, an award-winning zoo that is home to Britain’s largest collection of tigers, not to mention the lions, lemurs, and jaguars that roam their naturalistic enclosures. A fundamental part of the Zoo’s mission is to promote worldwide conservation and research to prevent the extinction of endangered animals. The Zoo is privately owned by the Corney family; all passionate conservationists, who tirelessly raise funds for conservation projects in addition to pioneering their own Zoo in Sandown, IoW.

Says Rod Bisset of BMH, “We were initially instructed by the Corney family in 2004, and on a ‘no win no fee’ basis, we challenged the 2000 rating assessment. We were successful in reducing it from £20,000 RV to £16,500 RV.”

White Tigress

This however was not BMH’s main achievement for the Isle Of Wight Zoo.
On the 2005 Rating List appeal BMH appealed to the Valuation Office to reduce their new £31,000 RV assessment. BMH based their valuation on a receipts & expenditure method of valuation and argued that income that was received for conservation abroad or monies donated to the Zoo as a consequence of their popular TV programme “Tiger Island”, being excluded from the rating assessment. The net result was that the 2005 rating assessment was reduced from £31,000 to £20,000.

Continues Bisset, “The Valuation Office Agency initially defended the rateable value by quoting comparables of Marwell and Drusillas Zoos on the basis of 7% of turnover. Ultimately, we were able to bring this figure down to 5% of turnover for the Isle of Wight Zoo.”

Says Bisset, “Ratable Value is about the revenue that a building and it’s associated land creates. A Rating Assessment becomes incorrect, and often excessive, when it may mistakenly include other sources of revenue that have got nothing to do with the building. I am pleased, both on a personal and professional level that the Isle of Wight Zoo has benefited financially in the long run simply through engaging us on ‘ no win no fee‘ basis.”

“The professional way that Rod and his team have acted in attaining a reduction in R.V. for the Zoo has enabled more funds to be made available for the continued conservation of Big Cats and other endangered species at the zoo and in the wild. The service received from Rod, in addition to being professional, has been very contactable, supportive and appreciative of the nature of our business” Colin Hailes (Finance Manager Isle of Wight Zoo).