Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will extend the covid-19 grant scheme for tourism and hospitality firms to small bed and breakfast businesses that are currently ineligible because they pay council tax and not business rates.

On 1 May 2020 the Business Secretary announced that a further up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities. This additional Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs but not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. We are asking local authorities to prioritise businesses in shared workspaces, regular market traders, small charity properties that would otherwise meet the criteria for Small Business Rates Relief, and bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. Local authorities may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need.