Commenting on the announcement from Welsh Government on a further £24 million in business rates relief, Ben Francis, FSB Wales Policy Chair, said:
“Business rates have been identified as one of the most challenging issues facing high street businesses across Wales, many of whom will welcome more business rates relief from Welsh Government today.
“For some time FSB Wales has been calling for the business rates system to be made fairer and more transparent – business owners need to be able to work with a system that allows them to plan for their business with certainty without the threat of a large increase in their business rates bill looming over them. We are pleased that Welsh Government has listened to FSB on the issue of more business rates relief, and hope that alongside this they will consider a move to more frequent revaluations to help build confidence within the business community.
“That being said, it is important to stress that business rates are only one issue facing high street businesses today. In our work on the future of Welsh towns, businesses told us that a myriad of issues are affecting them and their success; such as the move to online shopping, out-of-town shopping centres and decreased footfall in our town centres. Tackling the issues faced by our towns requires a well-rounded approach that reflects the needs and experiences of that area. That’s why we’ve called for a Future of Towns Fund, which would enable local communities to pitch in for funding that would enable them to implement innovate thinking that would help lead to healthy, sustainable towns and high streets across the country.
“We hope that today’s announcement is only the beginning of Welsh Government looking at how we can protect and strengthen high streets and towns across the country.”
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