Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Greater London Authority supplementary business rate arising from increases in Rateable Values from the 2026 business rates revaluation on the business rates of medium-size pubs in London in 2026-27.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Greater London Authority currently levies a Business Rates Supplement (BRS) to fund the costs of the Crossrail project (renamed Elizabeth line in 2016). The Mayor of London approved the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement policies for 2026-27 via a formal decision published on 16 January 2026, increasing the rateable value threshold above which the BRS applies from £75,000 to £92,000 from 1 April 2026 in line with average percentage increase in rateable values. In line with the requirements of the Crossrail BRS final prospectus published when the supplement was introduced in 2010-11, the Mayor is required to increase the threshold in line with the average change in rateable values in London at each revaluation. The intent of this threshold increase is to ensure that the total number of ratepayers liable to pay the BRS remains broadly unchanged each year.
On 27 January the government announced that for 2026/27 it was providing a further 15% business rates relief to pubs and live music venues on top of the support already announced at the Budget. Where business rate reliefs are implemented under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, such as the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief Scheme, Business Rates Supplements are adjusted to reflect the percentage relief provided by those schemes in line with the requirements of section 13(7) of the Business Rates Supplement Act 2009. It is for the 33 London billing authorities and the Greater London Authority to ensure that the required determinations and resulting adjustments are made to ratepayer bills in respect of BRS liabilities.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with the Greater London Authority on extending the 2026 (a) pubs and live music relief and (b) revaluation transitional relief to include increases in business rates from the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Business rates transitional relief is applied to business rates bills before the effect of other local reliefs or supplements. It therefore has no effect on local business rates supplements, such as the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement.
As set out in section 13 of the Business Rates Supplements Act 2009, where business rate reliefs are implemented under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, any applicable Business Rates Supplements are adjusted to reflect the percentage relief provided by those schemes. For the coming financial year, this will include adjustments to relevant Business Rates Supplements such as the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement, for the effect of the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme and Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief Scheme. It is for the 33 London billing authorities and the Greater London Authority to ensure that the required determinations and resulting adjustments are made to ratepayer bills in respect of BRS liabilities.
The Mayor of London approved the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement policies for 2026-27 via a formal decision published on 16 January 2026, increasing the rateable value threshold above which the BRS applies from £75,000 to £92,000 from 1 April 2026. Further information can be found on the Greater London Authority’s website here.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to ensure the Valuation Office Agency's online calculator on gov.uk for the affect of the 2026 revaluation includes the GLA Crossrail supplement on hereditaments in London.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The estimator tool has been taken down as standard practice ahead of billing authorities issuing bills, to reduce confusion for customers. Businesses can still check their rateable value via the Valuation Office Agency’s online service and should contact their local council with any questions about their bill.
On 27 January, it was announced that every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.
For those businesses benefiting from the new announcement, there is a specific calculator available to help them understand the impact on bills next year.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the average increase in the business rates liability of retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) businesses in London from the Crossrail GLA supplement as a consequence of RHL relief no longer applying to the supplement from 2026-27.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Decisions around the determination and application of local Business Rates Supplement are for the Greater London Authority, who must ensure they follow the requirements set out in the Business Rates Supplement Act 2009 and the policies set out in their final prospectus.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Government business rate (1) transitional relief and (2) Supporting Small Business Relief applies to the (a) Business Improvement District supplements and (b) Crossrail / GLA business rate supplement, in 2026-27 where the increased Rateable Value of a hereditament following the revaluation has (i) made the property liable for the supplement or (ii) increased the existing liability for the supplement.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The application and calculation of BID supplements and the Business Rates Supplement in London are matters for the BID body and the GLA respectively. The government does not determine these levies.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to 2 January 2026 written questions 102231: Crossrail 2 Line and 102232: Crossrail 2 Line, if she will use the analysis of the lessons learned from the success of the Elizabeth Line to assess other rail infrastructure projects, such as reassessing Crossrail 2.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Yes – I can confirm that every effort is made to learn lessons from other projects, including from the Elizabeth Line, when assessing plans and proposals.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the higher Rateable Values in the 2026 business rate revaluation on revenue from the Crossrail Business Rate Supplement; and whether the multiplier or threshold for the supplement will be amended.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This is a matter for the Mayor of London.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential long-term impact on economic productivity of delivering Crossrail 2, in the context of levels of economic uplift from the Elizabeth Line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the potential long-term impact on economic productivity of delivering Crossrail 2. The scheme was paused in 2020.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has undertaken a recent cost-benefit analysis of Crossrail 2, in the context of passenger numbers on the Elizabeth Line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No – the Department has not undertaken a recent cost-benefit analysis of Crossrail 2 in the context of passenger numbers on the Elizabeth Line.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many visas a) her Department, b) the Vehicle Certification Agency, c) East-West Rail, d) National Highways, e) Network Rail, f) Trinity House, g) the Civil Aviation Authority and h) Crossrail International have sponsored since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Visa systems, outside of those specific to sponsored employment routes, do not capture the occupation or employer of an applicant and therefore it is not possible to give a comprehensive answer to this question. In addition, the department does not hold information sponsored employment routes for other employers.