Business Rates

Jim Dickson Excerpts

Tuesday 27th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We will run this statement to about 3.15 pm, so we can all help each other. Jim Dickson is going to be a good example.

[Jim Dickson (Dartford) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement. The pubs in my constituency, from the Growler Stop and Ivy Leaf in Dartford to the Bull in Stone and the Spring River in Ebbsfleet, are the heart of our community. Does the Minister agree that it is crucial that we find ways to protect them as places for people to come together and build communities, and that the package he has announced today—with its 15% reduction on the revalued bill and protection for the next three years—makes a big contribution to that goal?

[Dan Tomlinson]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and for his engagement on this matter on behalf of the businesses in his constituency. We are making a significant intervention for pubs because we understand the concerns that have been raised about the methodology. As we have heard from my hon. Friend, pubs play a central role in his community in Dartford, as they do elsewhere, and they are important to the health, life and vibrancy of high streets, towns and villages in constituencies across the country.