View report page

24
ASSESSMENT AND RATEABLE VALUE.
As the costs of the last of the appeals (that of the Gas Light and
Coke Company) to the Court of Quarter Sessions against the Quinquennial
Valuation List of the parish were finally settled during the
year, the supplemental report of the Assessment Committee, shewing
the result of the various appeals and the cost of the same, although not
published until May, 1893, is attached hereto as an appendix. It will
be seen from this report that the rateable value of the Gas Light and
Coke Company's works in the parish was reduced from £54,490 to
£28,873. The total cost of the appeals to the parish amounted to
£4,536 4s. 9d., of which no less than £3,721 16s. 3d. was in respect of the
appeal of the Gas Light and Coke Company.
An important matter resulting from these appeals was the
alteration of the totals of the Quinquennial Valuation List of the
parish, which were reduced on appeal to Quarter Sessions by the sum
of £27,730. This reduction will it is anticipated lessen the contribution
to be paid out of the parochial rates to central bodies by the parish of
Islington by something like £4,200 per annum.
Another important matter in connection with the Quinquennial
Valuation which is also dealt with in the Committee's report is the
action of the London County Council in appealing against the totals
of the Valuation Lists of several metropolitan parishes which in the
opinion of the Council were under assessed. This course, was adopted
by the Council as mentioned in last year's Report, in consequence of a
representation made to them by the Vestry of Islington; and it will be
seen that if the London County Council's estimate be correct 11 parishes
and unions had with the view of escaping their liability to central charges
under-assessed themselves by nearly three-quarters of a million. In the
interests of the ratepayers of Islington the Vestry and Assessment
Committee could not ignore this, and both bodies have therefore readily
responded to a request from the London County Council by nominating
representatives to a Conference, which the Council propose to convene,
dealing with the subject.
Four provisional Valuation Lists and one supplemental List
have been prepared and settled during the year; 476 hereditaments