Asked by: Nesil Caliskan (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is considering to support small and medium sized businesses operating in high street premises.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Plan for Small Businesses sets out measures to support high street businesses by addressing crime, updating our licensing regime and targeting funding through our Pride in Place and High Street and Growth Incubator programmes. Businesses on the high street are also benefitting from new tools to access finance, action on late payments and regulatory costs, greater digital adoption and easier access to business support through the Business Growth Service.
Permanently lower business rate multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties announced last year are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. Alongside this we introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills due to revaluation.
Further action will be announced in a new High Streets Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Nesil Caliskan (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how the Business Growth Service will (a) work with local authorities in design and implementation and (b) progress wider government aims for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Business Growth Service will provide a national service and brand with locally led delivery and local business support services at its core. Local authorities are therefore key partners in the design and implementation of the Business Growth Service as well as the development of the broader Small Business Strategy aimed at helping SMEs to thrive.
DBT is currently consulting on these areas with the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the Greater London Authority, and other local government representatives via roundtables and other engagement routes, and this will continue as the Department prepares to the launch the Business Growth Service later this year.