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Budget 2021-22 Briefing: Business rates holiday extended, restart grants for retailers and reduced VAT

3 Mar 2021

Key highlights include an extension to the business rates holiday and furlough scheme, as well as new £6000 "restart" grants for non-essential retailers.
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Facebook Shop features coming to UK in the latest social media news

3 Mar 2021

Maybe* has made a collection of recent social headlines to help you stay up-to-date.
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ACS publish Rural Shop Report 2021

23 Feb 2021

The report provides key insights into the social and economic contributions of the rural shop sector, including profiles of the entrepreneurs that run rural shops, the investments they make... Read more…

Leading industry bodies urge Government to abolish bid to turn city centres into homes from home

18 Feb 2021

Leading industry bodies, including IRC members, have warned the Secretary of State that this notion puts the future of our town centres at serious risk
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Updated guidance on Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)

18 Feb 2021

From 1 June 2021 any UK businesses accepting online card payments must be ready to support SCA
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Scotland announces business rates holiday extension until April 2022

17 Feb 2021

The Scottish Government Finance Secretary plans to extend 100% business rates relief for all retailers to cover all of 2021/22
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APPGCW announce virtual meeting to discuss Planning White Paper and its impact on active travel

16 Feb 2021

All ACT members are invited to join the webinars, please contact us if you'd like to attend

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Join us in urging MPs to extend business rates holiday

10 Feb 2021

Use this template to email your MP to help independent retailers survive the pandemic by delaying the return of business rates.
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Firms call for Government to reform business rates or risk a high street collapse

10 Feb 2021

Letter to Rishi Sunak signed by Tesco, B&Q, Waterstones, and members of the IRC, calls for the business rates system to be reformed to make it fairer for physical stores

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ACT meeting with business ministers: send us your questions

10 Feb 2021

Whether you'd like to ask about business rates, the rent moratorium, or Government support for IBDs during the pandemic, we want to hear it.
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Scotland announces business rates holiday extension until April 2022

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News, Political News

scotlandScottish Government Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has updated the Scottish Parliament on developments with the Scottish Budget 2021-22.

Forbes announced plans to extend 100% business rates relief for all retailers to cover all of 2021/22. This follows a commitment to provide additional relief if finance from the UK Government allowed. An application process will be required to access the relief from local councils, which will be light-touch and used to not provide relief to retailers which do not want it after some repaid relief monies earlier in the pandemic.

"When I presented our budget last month I guaranteed to extend non-domestic rates relief further if I was given the necessary resources. I can now deliver on that promise, providing the UK Budget in March delivers the funding we require," Forbes said. 

"In advance of final allocations in the Spring Budget Revision on 25 February, I can confirm further 2020-21 non-recurring Covid support will be made available as follows:

  • £275 million to support Covid pressures including for lost income in Local Government
    • Councils will have the freedom and flexibility to decide how it is deployed to support the range of COVID pressures they are facing, ensuring continuity for the critical services they provide
  • £40 million for local government to support the ongoing deployment of safety mitigations within our schools. This builds on the £50 million we had previously committed, and provides certainty to local government as we proceed with the phased reopening of schools and ELC settings.
  • £60 million for Further and Higher Education
    • £40m resource funding to help colleges and universities maintain research activity, protect jobs and help students.
    • £20m additional capital to boost research and knowledge exchange.
  • £25 million to tackle poverty and inequality
    • Together with projected underspends on wider measures, this will enable us to make two key investments.
    • Firstly, a further £100 COVID Hardship Payment for children and young people receiving free school meals on the basis of low income.
    • The funding offered will also enable support to be extended to children who receive free lunches within early learning and childcare settings.
    • However we know that it is not only families with children that are struggling financially.
    • Therefore I am also announcing that we will increase the funding available to councils to tackle financial insecurity in their local areas by an additional £20 million.
  • And lastly £5.7 million for Covid pressures on Forestry."

The full announcement is available here.

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