Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend Business Rates Relief to businesses in the warehousing industry.

The Business Rates Relief has been directed towards the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors as these are properties that are wholly or mainly being used by visiting members of the public. However, businesses outside of these sectors, like the warehousing industry, continue to have access to a range of government support measures including, but not limited to:

• Small business grant funding (SBGF) of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
• A Discretionary Grant Fund in England
• The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)
• The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)
• The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprises
• VAT deferral for up to 12 months
• Protection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020 – with an option for the Government to extend if needed.

Support for businesses, including the warehousing sector, remains under constant review.

The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.