Small Business Rate Relief ‘time bomb’ could cost pubs £15m

By Luke Nicholls

15-Sep-2013 - Last updated on 16-Sep-2013 at 13:40 GMT

The move to support SBRR is part of a wider initiative by the BBPA on the issue of business rates

Failure to extend Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) from April 2014 could cost pubs in England and Wales some £15 million over the next year.

That’s according to new figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), which has written to industry bodies inviting them to work together to encourage the Government to continue this important relief for pubs.

SBRR sees a variable discount on rates for business with a rateable value of up to £12,000. This discount, worth approximately £1,000 on average, is due to expire at the end of March 2014, unless the Government decides to extend it further. Current estimates suggest that this will affect 16,000 pubs across England and Wales.

“Pubs across the country can ill-afford this extra cost on their businesses,” said the BBPA’s chief executive Brigid Simmonds. “We had a boost from the beer duty cut and the wider economy is improving – but this could knock the sector’s recovery off-course.”

“The Government has supported and spoken up for pubs on a range of issues, so I believe it is sensitive to the impact of high business rates on pubs.”