Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review Valuation Office Agency rules which prevent neighbouring business properties with the same owner from being considered as separate properties for the purposes of accessing Government covid-19 grant schemes.

Any property which has its own rating assessment and which meets the eligibility criteria for the Small Business Grant Fund or the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund is eligible for grants from these funds.

If the question is referring to the rules regarding Small Business Rate Relief, under which businesses can only receive SBRR on one property even if they occupy multiple properties: the rules for SBRR are set by MHCLG, not the Valuation Office Agency. SBRR has been designed to benefit the smallest businesses and the rules regarding SBRR reflect this intention.

The Small Business Grant Fund has been designed to support the smallest businesses which face high fixed property-related costs. The SBGF provides businesses with a grant of £10,000 per property, for each property in receipt of SBRR or Rural Rate Relief.

Under the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Grant Fund, businesses can receive a grant of either £10,000 or £25,000 for each property they own which is being used for retail, hospitality, or leisure purposes with a rateable value of under £51,000. So a business may receive multiple grants up to a maximum of €800,000 per business.