Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of business closures on the UK economy.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The latest statistics show that, on average, 312,000 businesses closed per year between 2019-2024, with 280,000 businesses closing in 2024. However, business births have exceeded closures over this period.
The table below illustrates the total business closures from 2019-2024, broken down for each year:
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
303,495 | 300,475 | 328,495 | 348,675 | 309,685 | 280,375 |
The table below illustrates the total business births from 2019-2024, broken down for each year:
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
363,825 | 333,015 | 363,995 | 336,925 | 316,025 | 317,435 |
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates system on hair salon businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Government support also means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
More broadly, later this year, the Government will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy to reinvigorate our communities. The Government will work with businesses and representative bodies to pull this Strategy together.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates on hospitality businesses in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Government support also means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
More broadly, later this year, the Government will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy to reinvigorate our communities. The Government will work with businesses and representative bodies to pull this Strategy together.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to bring skilled jobs to former coalfield communities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15th January 2026 to question UIN 104368 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament)
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help SMEs to increase employment opportunities.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are helping SMEs grow and employ more people through our largest ever injection of capital into the British Business Bank. Over the next five years, the British Business Bank will increase annual deployment by two-thirds, aiming to unlock around £26 billion of private capital alongside £13 billion in public funding, and enable up to an additional £10 billion in small business lending through guarantees.
The Government protected the smallest businesses from the changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this tax year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
At Autumn Budget 2025, we announced that we are supporting SMEs by changing the rules to fully fund SME apprenticeships training costs for eligible people under the age of 25.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the long-term financial viability of animal rescue centres and sanctuaries which are not registered charities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations. This consultation will consider the potential impacts on the sector, including any financial implications.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support high street businesses.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our Small Business Plan sets out how government will support high street businesses in the everyday economy. Later this year, MHCLG will publish a new High Streets Strategy setting out how we can support high streets to thrive.
This will build upon MHCLG's £5 billion Pride in Place Programme to renew our neighbourhoods and high streets. Kirkby-in-Ashfield was announced in the first 75 places to receive up to £20 million over the next decade as part of the Pride in Place programme and Ashfield will be in receipt of £1.5 million as part of the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of taxation policy on animal rescue centres and sanctuaries.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations. This consultation will consider the potential impacts on the sector, including any financial implications.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support animal rescue centres and sanctuaries.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations. This consultation will consider the potential impacts on the sector, including any financial implications.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve support for families affected by suicide.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Evidence suggests that those who are bereaved by suicide may have a risk of dying by suicide up to three times higher than the general population. The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England identifies eight priority areas for targeted and tailored support, one of which is to provide compassionate, timely, and effective support for people bereaved by suicide. Our actions are to better understand the personal experiences of people bereaved by suicide including through learning from our voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector (VCSE) partners, to explore opportunities to improve access and support for those bereaved by suicide and to engage with new evidence around bereavement.
Bereavement services and support should consider the needs of different groups and communities to ensure the widest range of people receive the support they need, wherever they live. The Government, local authorities, police, coroners, the National Health Service, schools and universities, and VCSE organisations all have an essential role in providing effective and timely bereavement support to.