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Business rates bills cut by a third for almost
half a million small retailers;
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New Future High Streets Fund to transform town
centres;
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Relaxation of town planning laws expected to help
support mixed business models
A £1.5 billion plan to support Britain’s high streets is expected
to be announced by the Chancellor in Monday’s Budget, including
£900 million of immediate business rates relief for 496,000 small
retailers.
In his Budget speech, the Chancellor is set to launch a £650
million fund to transform local high streets so that they can
remain firmly at the heart of communities, returning a vibrancy
to towns and cities up and down the country.
And a new business rates relief targeted at small retailers will
knock a third off their bills, building on over £10 billion of
business rates support since 2016 to help bricks-and-mortar
firms.
This will mean, for example, that a pub in Sheffield with a
rateable value (an estimate of the rental cost of the building)
of £37,750 will save £6,178 on business rates next year. And a
newsagent in Moseley, Birmingham with a rateable value of £14,250
will save £1,749.
This package will provide short-term relief for struggling
retailers and a long-term vision for town centres, helping them
to meet the new challenges brought about by our changing shopping
habits.
A Future High Streets Fund of £650 million will go towards
improving infrastructure and transport access. It will also
support local areas to redevelop under-used retail space into
homes and offices, providing help to restore high street
properties and put historic buildings back into use.
Over the next four years, towns and cities will have the power to
decide how they spend the money to help their local high streets.
Having listened to campaigners, businesses and the industry, it
is also expected that the Chancellor will look to relax town
planning rules, to support new mixed-use businesses on the high
street and the conversion of under-used retail units into offices
and homes.
This is expected to be accompanied by support for local
leadership to prepare and implement new strategies for their high
street, including a new £2 million High Streets Taskforce to
offer support and advice to help revitalise high streets.
Budget boost for hospitality sector in wedding venue
law shake-up
More hotels, restaurants and pubs could be able to hold weddings
following a review of marriage law, the Chancellor is expected to
announce in next week’s budget.
In a potential boost to the hospitality sector, the Chancellor is
expected to say he wants to make the outdated rules around
wedding venues simpler and fairer, and reduce red tape, while
continuing to ensure the dignity of marriage ceremonies is
preserved. To do so, he is expected to say the government will
ask the Law Commission to review the laws around wedding venues
in England and Wales.
In their 2015 report, the Law Commission established a strong
case for the need for reform. So the review will look widely at
how and where marriages can take place in England and Wales. It
will also look at how to accommodate the increasing demand from
couples to have a legally binding ceremony outdoors, which is
permitted in Scotland.
The current red tape for getting a licence to hold weddings
includes needing to identify a specific room where the ceremony
would take place, and that it must be part of a building rather
than in the open air or under a marquee. The licence holder must
also make sure that no food or alcoholic drinks are sold or
consumed in the specific area 1 hour before and during the
proceedings.
This means many small business owners are put off trying to get a
licence, which drives up the cost for couples, and restricts
choice. Surveys show the average wedding costs between £20,000
and £30,000, which includes an average cost of around £4,500 for
venue hire. This can mean some people who want to get married are
put off by the expense.
Relaxing restrictions would make it cheaper and simpler for
couples to get married, potentially supporting more people to get
married.
While the laws around who can get married have evolved
substantially in recent years, the laws on how and where
marriages must take place have remained largely unchanged since
1836. This review will help the law keep pace with modern
Britain, while helping people keep the cost of living down.
Notes to editors:
- The number of venues approved for civil ceremonies (‘approved
premises’) in England and Wales is approximately 7,500. This
include hotels (around 40% of approved premises are hotels),
corporate and event spaces, leisure and sports centres,
restaurants, pubs etc.
- The latest figures from the ONS show that there were 245,513
marriages in 2015.
- The Law Commission’s 2015 Scoping Paper is available
here: http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/app/uploads/2015/12/Getting_Married_scoping_paper.pdf
