00:00Hello, Morgan.
00:01Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
00:02Northropshire is home to some historic and beautiful market towns
00:05and I can recommend a visit over Easter.
00:08But I've been contacted by some high street retailers,
00:11particularly Niche Patisserie and the Carbon Garden Fruit and Veg Company,
00:15who are concerned about the double whammy of business rates increasing
00:19and NIC hikes happening this week.
00:22And they're worried about the impact on high streets,
00:24who are also facing the closure of post offices and banks.
00:27So could we have a debate in government time
00:29on how we radically reform business rates
00:31to bring our high streets back to life?
00:34Well, this government is committed to business rate reform.
00:38We've already taken through a piece of legislation
00:42that begins that process by creating a new lower level of business rates
00:47as well as a higher band as well
00:50for some of those much, much larger businesses.
00:53But there's further that we need to go.
00:56We have retained the discount into next year,
01:00but I appreciate that for high street businesses,
01:03for businesses in our town centres,
01:06these are difficult times.
01:08But this government is committed to ensure
01:10that we protect and support businesses and working people.
01:13And do...
01:14We've got a piece of business that has been approved for,
01:14for those of us who are going to do at revista.
01:18We've got a place that is connected to the increasing level of business rates,
01:19and then we have to see the Queen of the old land,
01:21and then we are going to pack up as a block as a block as a block as a block.
01:22So we've got a membership of it,
01:22so we've got to know that we're going to get to the building
01:24for the pandemic because of what our business is.
01:24And we're going to have to be done with it.
01:26So we've got to see the Paul's office about this.
01:27And we have to make the work of a piece of business,
01:29and we have to do a plan that we need to do a business before,
01:29and we have to continue doing something as a block as well as we go.
