Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend the Small Business Grant and Leisure, Hospitality and Retail Grant rules to allow local authorities greater discretion in supporting local businesses consistent with the purpose of those grant schemes.

As of 1^st May, Government has provided up to an additional £617m for Local Authorities in England to create a Discretionary Grants Fund, in order to help those small businesses which are excluded from the current grants schemes due to the way they interact with the business rates system.

Local Authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for this funding in their areas. And businesses will need to apply to their Local Authority in order to receive grants – each LA will need time to create their own process.

However, it is our intention that the following businesses should be considered as a priority for these funds:

• Businesses in shared offices;
• Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;
• B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates; and
• Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.