Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effect of the rising energy costs on levels of high street recovery from the covid-19 outbreak.

This Government is committed, through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, to reinvigorate high streets and town centres. We have been working closely with high street businesses to understand the impact of the cost of living crisis and to develop plans to help them and their customers.

The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.

This is in addition to the unprecedented package of support the Government provided to businesses over the past few years, including recent fuel duty and VAT cuts, business rates holidays, government backed loans worth around £400 billion and the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, which includes support for 101 Town Deals and 72 Future High Streets Fund projects. We will continue to stand firmly behind them and help our high street businesses succeed now and in the future.