Fed President Hemanshu Patel calls for Government to put independent retailers at heart of its Budget agenda

Fed President, Hemanshu Patel, calls for Government to put independent retailers at heart of its Budget agenda

The Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel, has once again called on the Chancellor John Healey MP to keep small shops at the heart of the government’s growth agenda, in the run up to the Budget on October 28^ویں.

Mr Patel’s call came as part of the Fed’s submission ahead of the Government’s Budget – which is scheduled for Wednesday 28^ویں October –  and follows a similar call for action on business costs and retail crime when Mr Healey was appointed by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the end of July. This previous letter calling for consideration of business rates, energy costs, above-inflation increases in the minimum wage was acknowledged by Mr Healey in August who said in correspondence of 26th August “There is a great amount to do during the coming months and I look forward to working with you to achieve our mutual goals.”

Key policy points raised in Mr Patel’s September letter ahead of the Budget, included:

• Highlighting rogue trade and retail crime which Mr Patel says remains unacceptably high – despite a recent plateauing near historically high levels – with a call for continued investment in Neighbourhood policing and ring-fenced resourcing for trading standards teams.
• A call for the government to increase the employer National Insurance Contribution threshold above the £5,000 threshold to try and boost employment to at least £7,000, as this will particularly help small shops boost employment for those on the margins of employment, like part-time and young staff members.
• Once again highlighted concern about Fed members being impacted by Business Rate increases and losing out on Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) by the recent April revaluation, calling on the government to increase the threshold for SBRR from its current base 100% relief level of £12,000 per annum, to £18,000 or higher.
• Calling for action on energy bills, included highlighting the Fed’s work with, Sarah Edwards MP, on the Trust and Transparency Charter campaign to create greater competition in the energy market.

Mr Patel’s letter stated: “… this remains a challenging time for our members and those across the independent convenience sector as they continue to face high taxation and high energy costs. Whilst the Fed acknowledges the fiscal challenges the government must deal with, we hope that the needs of small retail businesses– and the wider social and economic benefits they provide – are also factored into the decisions you will need to make in this Budget and beyond.”