Business Rates Avoidance Schemes
Debate between Lord Wilson of Sedgefield and Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate(2 weeks, 2 days ago)
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Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
I accept what the noble Baroness is saying. The Government are committed to consulting on a general anti-avoidance rule, covering all local authorities. There is something similar in Scotland and Wales, and the Government are seriously looking at it. I will leave the question of when it will happen to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget.
Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con)
My Lords, although it is important for the Government to take action against those who break the rules and the law, high streets in this country are virtually crippled as a result of taxation, including the business rates that are applied to them. What will the Government do to lift these burdens and encourage small businesses to continue to trade on our high streets?
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
I kindly say to the noble Lord that, at the last Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government have introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases in 2026-27, including 23% whose bills will go down. This also means that most properties are seeing increases capped at 15% or less in 2026-27, or at £800 for the smallest.
Grangemouth Oil Refinery Closure: Job Losses
Debate between Lord Wilson of Sedgefield and Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness for that question. First, the problem with Prax was that it was a badly run company. If I have one message for it, it is to put its hands deep into its pockets and think about the 400-odd workers who have lost their jobs there. Secondly, we are investigating how that company was run. As far as the industry is concerned, as I said earlier, if we look just across the road, at Phillips 66, we see that that is a well-run oil refinery that is thinking about the future and looking at sustainable fuels. That is the future of the industry. We are looking at Project Willow, which is active in Grangemouth, to see whether we can utilise that in Lincolnshire as well, and at what kind of training package we can get together for the workers there. We are looking at this, and it is very important that we do, but the reason why Prax is in the position that it is in is that it was badly run.
Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con)
My Lords, there is a certain irony in all this and in discussing net zero, because next door to the Grangemouth oil refinery is the Alexander Dennis bus company, which produces some of the finest electric buses in this country. The danger there is that a great number of jobs are apparently going to be lost at that facility. Has the Minister anything to say regarding those jobs?
Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)
All jobs are important, and I will write to the noble Lord on exactly what we are doing about that. Our vision for the future is that it is sustainable and that we utilise EVs more than we are currently. There is a future in all this, and I am sure that we will do everything we can to ensure that those jobs are sustainable.