Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the level of business rates on the financial viability of small music venues.

HM Treasury Ministers and officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in other government departments on a range of issues, including business rates.

Since Budget 2016, we have announced cuts worth more than £13bn to businesses over the next five years, including switching to CPI indexation, and making Small Business Rate Relief more generous so that 655,000 of the smallest businesses pay no rates at all. The government also introduced a £3.6bn transitional relief scheme to support ratepayers facing bill increases as a result of the 2017 property revaluation.

Budget 2018 announced a new business rates retail discount, cutting bills by a third for eligible businesses. As is set out in guidance, music venues may be eligible for the discount where they are broadly similar in nature to those properties listed as eligible. It is for local authorities to make that judgement.