'Too little, too late': Shropshire MP says government package will do little to support struggling pubs
A Shropshire MP has accused the Government of letting pubs down with its latest support package, which he says will make little difference to struggling businesses.
On Tuesday, Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson announced a 15 per cent cut in business rates on pubs taking effect in April, and a real-terms freeze for the next two years.
But Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, accused the Government of not doing enough for the beleaguered leisure, retail and hospitality sectors, and said the pub announcement was 'too little, too late' for many struggling businesses.
During a debate in Parliament , Mr Pritchard repeated his invitation to Mr Tomlinson to join him on a pub crawl in Shropshire.
Joking about whether Mr Tomlinson would be appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, Mr Pritchard accused the Government of making a 'half turn' or 'pivot', rather than the full U-turn he might have expected.
"The minister will recall that I invited him to join me on a pub crawl in Shropshire," he told the Commons.
"So far he has not responded, and perhaps he should not respond, because for many pubs in Shropshire his statement was too little, too late, and they have already decided to close their doors."
The Government has pledged to carry out an overhaul of the business rates mechanism in 2029, but Mr Pritchard said businesses needed certainty now if they were to invest for the future.
"The independent pub chains have to make investment decisions, and they have put those off. May I appeal to the minister, on behalf of the leisure sector, the retail sector and the hospitality sector, for the timetable to be brought forward from 2029 so that people can plan for their business futures?"
Mr Tomlinson said the Government had listened to concerns in the sector over recent weeks.
"I am not sure that I will take the honourable gentleman up on his offer of a pub crawl just yet, but I hope he will be able to welcome the support we have provided for the pubs that he raised with me in questions earlier this year."
