The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Ministers urged to act on toilets and rates
Scottish ministers were last night urged to implement a new package of support for small businesses – including a tax break for closure-threatened public toilets.
Under plans announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond, business rates bills south of the border will be cut by a third for retail properties with a rateable value below £51,000.
It was part of a £675 million package of measures designed to boost struggling high streets. And the chancellor promised to introduce 100% business rates relief for all public toilets to “help keep these important local amenities open”.
The move emerged amid an ongoing row over the closure of public toilets by Highland Council, and after huge rises in rateable values last year left many north and north-east businesses facing crippling bills.
Andrew Bowie, Scottish Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, urged the SNP to make similar changes, saying: “I really hope the Scottish Government can follow HM government’s lead.”
On the public toilets relief, Highland Council Margaret Davidson said the authority was investigating its impact.
“The news has just come out and we will need to understand how this applies to Scotland. We will follow this up in the next few days,” she said.
Highland Save Our Loos campaigner Christina Perera said: “Rates relief would certainly remove some of the financial burden on local authorities, if this were to be introduced in Scotland. Unfortunately Highland Council is determined to get rid of its public loos, whatever the human, economic or environmental cost.” The rollout of universal credit is being delayed once more, with a new target date of December 2023 for all claimants to be transferred to the government’s flagship new benefit.
The announcement came as Chancellor Philip Hammond provided an additional £6.6 billion over the next six years to smooth the introduction of UC, which replaces a range of welfare payments.
But there was no move to end the freeze on the value of benefits, which is due to continue until 2020, reducing the real value of welfare payments at a time when inflation is running at around 2.5%.
Almost £1bn will go towards extra support for claimants moving from legacy benefits on to UC.
The cash will fund an additional two weeks of Jobseekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support for people switching to the new benefit, cutting from five to three weeks the time they must wait for UC payments. Effective from July 2020, the Treasury said the move would help 1.1 million claimants.
Meanwhile, a reform to the way payments are calculated will allow 2.4 million households with children and people with disabilities to keep £630 a year more before their UC award begins to be withdrawn.