A letter to local authorities confirms amendments that the government has made to the eligibility criteria for Supporting Small Business Relief, a scheme available in England.
Eligibility for the relief has been aligned with the treatment of vacancy and reoccupation under Transitional Relief.
Under the updated rules, a change of ratepayer or a period of vacancy after 31 March 2026 will not affect eligibility for the Supporting Small Business Relief scheme. Eligibility will still be lost if the property becomes occupied by a charity or a Community Amateur Sports Club.
The change has been made to reflect the fact that the relief is intended to mitigate business rate bill increases as a result of revaluation. The change has been backdated to 1 April 2026.
UK businesses are increasingly worried about rising operating costs, with concern over both energy and fuel prices reaching their highest levels since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began tracking them.
Small UK companies are being asked to develop security ideas and products for Britain’s transport sector with an unusually tight deadline. As the geopolitical situation becomes increasingly dangerous, with sabotage to the UK’s physical and cyber infrastructure by countries such as Russia and Iran increasing daily, new security projects are topping the government’s ‘hopeful’ list.
