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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support retail businesses with (a) reduced footfall and (b) increased business costs.

Eligible retailers continue to benefit from 50% businesses rates relief and the Government has frozen the multiplier for all businesses in 2022/23.

The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. The Growth Plan sets out government’s vision for a simpler, lower tax economy, delivering £45 billion of tax cuts by 2026/27, alongside a substantial package of supply-side reforms to start boosting growth.