Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of delays in processing business rates relief applications on affected businesses; and what steps he is taking to speed up processing times.

Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates including the calculation and issuing of rates bills. This includes the assessment for and application of any reliefs that a business may be eligible for. If ratepayers have any questions about their bill, or believe they are eligible for a relief, they should contact their local authority.

The government has worked closely with local authorities to support them in their role as billing authorities as they implemented the changes to the business rates system as announced at Budget 2025.