A recent report in the local press highlights the plight of our town centres. There are now 27 empty properties in Weymouth town centre alone. This demonstrates that little has been done by those who can act to support our small businesses since a similar story over a year ago on this subject.
Local traders agree that the business rate is one of the biggest barriers for small businesses.
But in a report in the Dorset Echo on March 10th our MP was quoted as saying, ‘A lot is being done’, (to tackle the problems of high business rates), ‘A lot of pressure is being applied…..’ and ‘Business rates have often come to my attention’.
What does any of this mean? If the government wanted to do something quickly they could easily reduce these rates for the small traders we so badly need in Weymouth. Business rates are fixed by central government, based on a percentage of the rateable value of the premises. Small businesses pay under 1% less than large businesses. This tax is then paid to central government, not kept in the town.
The government should quite simply reduce this multiplier (as it’s called) for small businesses and pay for it by increasing the figure for large businesses by the same amount.
Given how quickly the government was able to increase tuition fees, reduce corporation tax for large multi- national companies (while leaving small companies with no reduction) reduce the higher rate of tax and introduce the bedroom tax, we can assume this change to the multiplier could be introduced with similar speed.
But Mr. Drax chose to deflect our attention. By saying, in the same report, it is the Council’s job to, ‘ensure the correct environment is created in the town’, is he suggesting that our council, working with a budget savaged by his government, should now divert more funds from essential services to improve the town centre?
Instead of feeding us empty words that mean nothing, along with attempts to bat the responsibility into the Council’s court, our MP should be pushing the government he represents to take real action. Small, independent retailers and traders in Weymouth need prohibitive business rates reduced now.
Jane Burnet
Green Party Parliamentary Candidate, South Dorset.
