Celebrating Budget win for local high streets as rates slashed

Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, has celebrated the news that scores of high street businesses across his constituency will have their business rates scrapped as a result of today's Budget from the Labour Government, with many more seeing bills reduced or frozen.

Alistair has been actively speaking up on the need to do more to support high street businesses across the towns and villages he represents, running weekly ‘Small Business Saturday shout outs’, pressing Ministers in Parliament and taking the owner of local cafe Rose's at Duck Lane to Downing Street last year. 

Most recently, he raised the fantastic contribution made by local bookseller Next Page Books in Parliament and pressed the Leader of the House on what more the Government will do to support high street business like them. As a result of the change in the Budget, Next Page Books and thousands of high street businesses will now no longer pay any business rates.

This is the result of the Government lifting the threshold at which businesses have to pay business rates up to a rateable value of £18,000, taking 70,000 high street businesses out of rates altogether. Alongside this, discounted rates will be available to high street businesses with a rateable value of below £21,000, and rates will be frozen for other retail and hospitality businesses. 

Alistair Strathern said: “I’m delighted to see this big win for so many of our much-loved high street businesses in the Budget today.

“From Next Page Books and Gusto Italian Deli to The Albert pub, this is great news for many of the business that bring such life to our high streets in Hitchin and will now pay no rates altogether. 

"We haven't stopped there either, and it's great to see much-loved local favourites like Rose's at Duck lane and Dalchini Spice in Shefford seeing significant rate cuts too. 

“After months of pressing the case in Parliament and spotlighting the value these businesses bring to our community, I’m delighted to see the Government acting to provide this crucial breathing space as international pressures push up costs for all of us.

“Thank you to so many of our local businesses who have worked with me over the last year to help make the case for change, this win simply wouldn’t have been possible without you.

“I know there is more to do though. That’s why I’ll continue to champion the business that bring so much to our community and continue to press the case for action.”