Today's announcement by the Prime Minister of a business rates cut for pubs, clubs and music venues in England will not generate any consequential funding for Northern Ireland and will provide no direct benefit to hospitality businesses here.
The measure, limited to smaller businesses, excludes restaurants and hotels, and delivers an average saving of around £1,100 per property. It also comes against the backdrop of significant increases in rateable values following England's recent business rates re-evaluation.
While the announcement itself is relatively modest, it again highlights the immense pressures facing hospitality businesses. It reinforces the urgent need for meaningful business rates reform in Northern Ireland before our hard-won pause of the 2026 re-evaluation process is rerun.
Hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland are stuck in the middle with higher business rates than our colleagues in England and higher VAT rates than our colleagues in the Republic of Ireland.
The decision to pause Reval26 was an important, hard-won first step, but that pause must now deliver meaningful reform of businesses rates here. Whilst the UK Government must recognise that much greater support is needed and cut VAT to deliver the level of change needed to have a real impact.