Dog day care centre could close after £24,500 bill

A DOG daycare business in Ipsden is facing closure after being issued a backdated business rates bill totalling more than £24,500.

Pawfect Playdays in Icknield Road has been asked to pay the sum to South Oxfordshire District Council within three years.

Owners Jane Baldwin, 44, and Jade Morcom, 35, believe there has been a mistake as the charge relates to a two-storey warehouse on site that they said they do not occupy.

Ms Baldwin, who lives in Benson with her four children, said: “We just assumed at first that there must be some mistake.

“Their information was incorrect and they believed us to occupy a building that we didn’t but somebody’s got to pay and our name is above the door.

“They have confirmed that we don’t occupy that building but it’s just red tape.”

Business rates are partially determined by the government’s Valuation Office Agency, which calculates how much premises are worth per square metre.

Ms Baldwin said: “It’s frustrating that the calculations are done on square footage and they don’t take into account the profit of the business — it’s literally done on how much space you have.”

The square footage also means the business, which employs four full-time staff members, is not eligible for small business relief. Ms Baldwin said: “It’s been a rigmarole of reactions and an emotional rollercoaster. As soon as we think we’re getting somewhere, it all gets swept out from under us.

“It has been very hard-going and we’re getting into the realms of money which are just unfathomable to us. We don’t turn much of a profit, we do this for the love of the dogs and what we do and for the dog owners themselves.”

The pair have decided to try and fight the bill by seeking legal advice and starting a crowdfunding campaign, which has raised more than £4,500 so far.

Mrs Morcom, who lives in Ipsden with her husband and eight-year-old daughter Alice, said: “The fundraising has really just proven to me, along with all the messages of support, that there’s a lot of people who are prepared to help.

“We take 120 dogs a week, where are 120 dogs suddenly going to go? There isn’t someone sat at home waiting to look after these dogs. They need this space, the group of other dogs and the security.” Mrs Morcom described the daycare as a “lifeline” for clients, adding: “Dogs are to be enjoyed and we mean people can enjoy their dogs a little bit more because they know they’ve got somewhere to go where they’re safe.”

Beyond taking care of people’s dogs, Mrs Morcom said Pawfect Playdays offer opportunities to those in the community, including providing therapy dog services with her German shepherd Ody and offering work experience placements.

She said: “We have students from The Henley College attending twice a week and those with learning disabilities coming in to do work experience.

“We’ve also had a young autistic man do an internship with us over the past six months. We don’t want to have to close those doors.”

Mrs Morcom and Ms Baldwin say that if the issue is not resolved by October, the daycare facility will have to close. Mrs Baldwin said: “It’s the sort of thing that just goes round and round your head in the middle of the night.

“We started this business with such a lot of passion for what we wanted to achieve. We wanted to run a pre-school for dogs where they looked forward coming to us, greeted their friends as they ran in and got to play together all day long.

“We wanted to offer something that seemed a bit unique in our area and we were so excited to be able to do that. We feel so strongly that we can’t just lose all of this.”

A spokeswoman for South Oxfordshire District Council said that it is having an ongoing dialogue with the business to develop a “realistic and affordable” repayment plan.

She said: “The amount of business rates local businesses pay is decided by the Government and the rate that an individual business pays is based on several factors.

“The council must bill national non-domestic rates strictly in accordance with entries in the rating list, which is compiled, updated and maintained by the Valuation Office Agency. The council plays no part in this valuation process.

“Ratepayers can appeal their rateable value with the Valuation Office Agency; however, a rateable value must fall under £15,000 to qualify for small business rates relief.

“If a business is struggling with their business rates we encourage them to get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can see how we can help or signpost them to support.

“Call us on 0333 038 6550 or email us at sodc.business rates@secure.capita.co.uk”