Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the April 2026 business rates revaluation and the withdrawal of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief on post offices, including on small and rural branches.

Post offices are eligible for small business rates relief or 100 per cent rural rate relief if they meet certain conditions.

Post offices losing rural rate relief, Small Business Rates Relief, or RHL relief at the 2026 revaluation are eligible for the Supporting Small Business scheme, which caps bill increases at the higher of £800 a year, or the relevant Transitional Relief caps.

The Government has also introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including post offices. The new RHL multipliers replace the temporary RHL relief that had been winding down since the pandemic. Unlike RHL relief, the new multipliers are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there is no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England benefit.

Later this year the Government will publish a High Streets Strategy to support all high streets nationally and equip local authorities with the tools they need to drive long-term high street regeneration.