Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to support high street retailers.

Government is clear that we want all types of retail to thrive now and in the future, and to support the sector as it responds to change. This is why we established the industry led Retail Sector Council to bring Government and industry together to help the sector address key sector issues and define its future strategy.

The council is due to meet next in February. The Council is prioritising its work to address the key challenges facing the sector and will initially focus on; costs to business, skills and lifelong learning, employment protection, consumer protection, the circular economy and the Industrial Strategy. The priority areas were selected by the industry and each workstream will be led by a senior industry figure.

Furthermore, at Autumn Budget, Government launched the £675m Future High Streets Fund, which will help local leaders to transform their town centres and make them fit for the future. The prospectus for the Fund was published in December and invites high streets and town centres to come forward with Expressions of Interest by March 22^nd 2019.

Local leaders will be further supported by the High Streets Task Force, which will be established in 2019 and will provide hands-on support to local areas to develop data-driven innovative strategies and connect local areas to relevant experts.

In addition, from April 2019, the Government is cutting the business rates bills of eligible small retailers by one third for two years, worth almost £900m in reduced bills.