Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to extend access to the (a) Covid-19 Small Business Grant Fund and (b) the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund to businesses (i) occupying shared premises or (ii) that pay their rent via their landlord on a Rent plus Rates basis.

The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have been designed to support the smallest businesses, and small businesses in some of the sectors which have been hit hardest by the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

These schemes have been tied to the business rates system and rating assessments, which together provide a framework for Local Authorities to make payments as quickly as possible. Businesses in the business rates system are also likely to face particularly high fixed costs, such as fixed rents.

We are listening to the concerns of business, including that businesses in shared offices which may still be paying business rates via “rent, rates and service charges” payments to their landlords are excluded from the grants scheme, but also often face high fixed costs.