Question
I have not been contacted by any constituents who work for Poundland, because the store in Haywards Heath closed in February. Roll forward to November, and that large unit—an anchor unit for the whole high street—is still lying empty. What is the Government’s plan to reform business rates in order to support these large units that prop up the rest of our high streets?
Answer
I am sure that the hon. Member welcomed the Chancellor’s announcements on business rates last week, which included introducing a two-year real-terms freeze for all retail, hospitality and leisure properties to help with increased inflation. We are also removing 70,000 extra properties from business rates, meaning that half of all RHL properties will pay no business rates at all. High streets are the beating heart of our communities and are so important for local people and jobs. We are committed to tackling their decline with our high streets strategy and so many other initiatives in partnership with the sector. We want to back our high streets, back the jobs and back the businesses that support them.36% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (40/100)
The reply gives concrete business rates measures for high streets, including a two-year real-terms freeze for retail, hospitality and leisure properties and reliefs affecting some premises. It does not say how any of these measures target the large anchor units the question asked about, so that specific point goes unanswered. The person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up to get that detail.
Verdict: AMBER (40/100)
The reply gives concrete business rates measures for high street properties, including a two-year real-terms freeze for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, removal of 70,000 properties from rates, and rates relief for half of these properties. However, none of these measures specifically addresses large units, which was the focus of the question, so that part is only partly answered. The person who asked would likely need to follow up to get a specific response on large units.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government's plan to reform business rates to support large units on high streets. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply names concrete business rates measures (a two-year real-terms freeze for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, removal of 70,000 properties from rates, and half of RHL properties paying nothing), which answers the question's request for a plan to reform business rates for high streets. However, none of these statements addresses large units specifically, and the relief described reads as aimed at RHL properties generally, so the question's focus on large units is only partly met. |
| What is the Government's plan to reform business rates to support large units that anchor high streets. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply gives concrete business rates measures (a two-year real-terms freeze for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, removal of 70,000 properties from rates, and half of RHL properties paying no rates), which is the right policy area for high streets. However, none of these measures is framed around large units that anchor high streets, so the specific targeting the question asks about goes unanswered. |