Leader statement on business rates relief announcement

The Government has today announced an additional £1.5bn in business rates relief for those companies who were not already receiving support. Read details about who will benefit.

No decisions on the exact distribution have been made yet - but as we get more detail, we will update the website and be in contact with businesses directly.

The council’s leader Rachael Robathan has welcomed the additional Treasury funding.

Cllr Robathan said:

This news is welcome as central London’s economy prepares for the lifting of lockdown.

With 39,000 businesses in Westminster, we are acutely aware of the pain employers and staff have suffered in the past year and it is vital companies get the right kind of help.

As a council we successfully pressed for the extension of the business rates holiday. We now need to see this package of central Government help distributed fairly to revive Westminster’s economy. One in ten jobs in London are generated by the West End, and it’s in everyone’s interest to see our businesses thriving again.