Prospective Winchester MP urges local shops to seek relief.
Steve Brine, the Prospective Conservative MP for Winchester & Chandler's Ford says small shop owners like David Wilson in Cheshire could save up to £1,100 if they use the online tool on the Conservative party website to help small businesses quickly apply for Small Business Rate Relief.
Rising business rates combined with the credit crunch are straining local shops. Conservatives are committed to helping small businesses maintain and grow their businesses as the country faces recession. It is a clear recognition that small businesses are the lifeblood of the country’s economy and at the heart of each community. Many shops are eligible for rate relief but do not know about it or find it too complicated to apply.
Steve says; “Small shops in the Winchester and Chandler's Ford area are the lifeblood of our communities and they could be up to £1,100 better off. But the Government has failed to let them know if they qualify and, not surprisingly, tied up the rate relief program with lots of red tape. Our online tool helps small shop owners cut through the tape and get relief.
“Local business owners like David Wilson, who has benefitted from our online tool to get relief, can seek and get rate relief as well. We’ve launched this effort to build awareness and actually get people to apply for relief as one part of our comprehensive plan to ensure small businesses weather this economic storm.”
To use the Conservative online tool please goto www.conservatives.com/smallshops
Other Conservative action to support our small shops:
1. Steve Brine ran a constituency wide competition last year to support local shops and businesses called the Keep it Local search.
2. In the summer, Conservative MPs published a report which set out the challenges facing small shops and ideas for the way ahead. It concluded that local shops play a vital role within the community.
3. Conservatives oppose Labour plans to make it easier to build more out-of-town developments; by scrapping the so-called ‘needs test’. If implemented this will further undermine small shops.
4. Members of the public can join our campaign by clicking this link:
http://www.conservatives.com/Campaigns/Support_Our_Small_Shops.aspx
Small Shops in the decline
1. 2000 small shops are closing every year according to High Street Britain 2015, Report by the Small Shops APPG, 2005.
Low take up of small business rate relief
1. The Local Government Association believes that some 870,000 firms are eligible for the rebate but only half have claimed. (1 June 2006)
2. An FSB survey found that 49% of eligible businesses were claiming SBRR. They also found huge regional variances in take up, with no identifiable pattern by region. (May,2006).
3. In September this year, Leaseholders United ran a campaign to raise awareness of the availability of the relief. So far small businesses have claimed £1.5 million as a result of the campaign.
The Regional Story
In June 2006, the Local Government Association published a snapshot survey of local councils’ Small Business Rate Relief take up. The survey revealed that up to half of all businesses that could qualify for the relief had failed to apply for it. In the South East just 43% of eligible businesses are taking up relief.
Comment from others:
Federation of Small Business said: “Small businesses need all the help they can get at the moment and it is important that the local authorities do all that they can to make small firms aware of the small business rate relief scheme. It is also vital that government makes this scheme automatic as it is in both Wales and Scotland.”
From Leaseholders United: “Around £250 million pounds is still waiting to be claimed by small businesses up and down the country. Of our members who have applied for the relief, many have received cheques up to £1100 and a rates reduction of £2200 in total for this year and next,” Andrew Bacon MRICS, Leaseholders United said. www.leaseholdersunited.comhttp://www.leaseholdersunited.com
From Association of Convenience Stores: “ACS is highly supportive of Mark Prisk’s campaign to support small shops. This comes at a crucial time to small shops that have to deal with increasing regulation and the impacts of the financial crisis on their businesses. It is vital that those businesses that are eligible for Small Business Rate Relief are aware so that they can take advantage of it,” Chief Executive James Lowman said.