Retail Businesses: Financial Support Debate
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Lord Cotter
Main Page: Lord Cotter (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Cotter's debates with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Retail Businesses: Financial Support
Lord Cotter Excerpts(3 years, 7 months ago)
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Lord Callanan (Con)
We are, of course, willing to learn from the example of other countries. However, as my noble friend is aware, all existing member states, and the UK during its transition period, continue to operate under the same state aid framework.
Lord Cotter (LD)
My Lords, we are a nation of shopkeepers, and small outlets are the heart of our local community in Weston-super-Mare. Should the Government not have a special plan to help them? When can we expect one? Business rates are the predominant issue of concern.
Lord Callanan (Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord is right to be concerned about the high street, and I am sure that Weston-super-Mare is no exception. As he will no doubt be aware, we abolished business rates for 12 months for all eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. That support was worth almost £10 billion. We also gave local authorities grants worth £11 billion to distribute to help local businesses.