23 Business Groups Call For Urgent Rates Relief For High Street Businesses But Downpatrick Voice Is Absent Again From The Table
Twenty-three business organisations, Chambers of Commerce and Business Improvement districts, covering businesses in every local village, town and city, have written an open letter to every MLA and MP urging similar rates relief for Northern Ireland High Street businesses that other parts of the UK are receiving.
The combined call comes after the recent UK Budget hiked Employers National Insurance and Living Wage but provided 40% rates relief for independent retail, hospitality and leisure businesses to offset the increases in England.
Urgent requests to meet the First and deputy First Minister, Finance, and Economy Ministers and Secretary of State have been made to discuss the worsening cost of business crisis has been made.
And once again, when the opportunity for businesses has arisen for the wider Downpatrick area to have a voice at the table, there is nothing but an awkward silence where the business community has failed to rise to the challenge while it is faced with multiple threats in an ever-changing world.
Downpatrick needs a proper functioning Chamber of Commerce and Trade to represent its interests – other communities from Bangor, Newtownards, Newcastle, Kilkeel, Warrenpoint, Newry City and Banbridge have Chambers of Commerce and the collective synergy is manifest as in the letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
In atheletter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the group of 23 said that it was contributing billions of pounds to the local economy. However, they argue that the cost of doing business has escalated with the recent budget.
The 23 maintain that rises in Employers National Insurance will impact badly on the NI economy, restricting jobs and affecting the sustainability of many small businesses.
The letter said: “We collectively call for the Finance Minister to use the Barnett consequential of this scheme to provide appropriate rates relief for High Street businesses in Northern Ireland…
“In England previously, small businesses received a 75% reduction in their rates to assist with the Cost Of Doing Business crisis.
“Despite the UK government giving Northern Ireland this funding for the Barnett consequential, local small businesses did not receive a single penny of reduction in their rates with the money going elsewhere in the Stormont Budget.”
The 23: Retail NI, Hospitality Ulster, Antrim Chamber of Commerce, Ballycastle Chamber of Commerce, Ballymena Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Banbridge Chamber of Commerce, Bangor Chamber of Commerce, Belfast Chamber of Trade, Cathedral Quarter BID, Causeway Chamber, Coleraine BID, Enniskillen BID Ltd, Food NI, Larne Business Forum, Lisburn Chamber of Commerce, Londonderry Chamber, Newry BID, Newtownards Chamber of Trade, NI Food to Go Association, Omagh Chamber of Commerce, Strabane BID.
