Why does EDBF get to see EDDCs budget before the rest of us?

A commentator below has asked this question.

The EDDC budget is brought before EDBF every year because its members are Very Important People and much, much wiser than any of us plebs.

They get consulted on business rate setting every year too, though most years EDBF (not EDDC) decide that thet don’t want or need a meeting (tell that to the struggling small businesses who don’t have the option of giving their views except through their representative at EDBF, Mr Page-Turner (see above and other posts here).

EDDC does not set business rates at the moment, but it can advise the government.  In future, though, it is planned for local authorities to retain a share of business rates.  Bet EDBF will have something to say then!

Of course, many EDBF members don’t have small businesses (and currently businesses with less than 5 employees cannot join EDBF anyway);  they have Very, Very, Very  Big Businesses, and many of them have already branched out into developing (housing and industrial) or own land which they want to develop or want to sell for development …..