Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from small businesses and their trade bodies on the potential effect of business rates revaluation on their businesses.

In September 2016 we issued a consultation document on transitional relief for the 2017 revaluation. We received responses from ratepayers and organisations representing small businesses including the Federation of Small Businesses and the Association of Convenience Stores. A summary of responses is available on my Department's website at:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/business-rates-revaluation-2017

Nearly three quarters of businesses will see no change or a fall in their bills from 1 April thanks to the business rates revaluation, with 600,000 businesses set to pay no business rates at all. A £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme will provide support for the minority who do face an increase.