Gov.uk have published the new budget report which was presented previously by the Chancellor. We have summarised top five points you should know about it. 1. Over £1.5 billion to support the high street Small retail businesses will see their business rates bills cut by a third for two years from April 2019, saving them £900 million. Local high streets will benefit from £675 million to improve transport links, re-develop empty shops as homes and offices and restore and re-use

CPA have often commented on the fact that the government likes to show they are helping the struggling sectors, but that their actions tend to be minor changes that don't really solve the problem. Yes on paper it is a good thing that this change will help some retailers, some but not all! It is still the same issue that some but not all will be helped and the aid being given has not been thought through. Any sole trader with a shop under a £12,000 rateable value automatically