City Centre Company calls for urgent action to save businesses

The Plymouth City Centre Company has joined forces with a national campaign to call on the government for urgent action to save retail, leisure and hospitality businesses from imminent closure.

A series of sector specific measures are being called for by the Bounce Back Better Campaign after national consultation with Business Improvement Districts, local authorities, destinations and other industry groups.

The City Centre Company, whose chairman Nigel Godefroy, has already written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak for more support (READ HERE), has added its backing to the campaign.

Steve Hughes, chief executive of the City Centre Company, which represents more than 500 city centre businesses, said:

“We will do whatever it takes to get our businesses the support they need, so this campaign is hugely important and we urge all our businesses, MPs and local councillors to get behind it.”

The campaign calls for:

• An extension of the 100% business rates holiday for 2020/21
• A pause on employer National Insurance contributions for furloughed employees
• An extension of the VAT reduction scheme for hospitality

Mr Hughes added: “These decisions need to be made now. Our businesses are facing a cliff edge at the end of March and they need to be able to plan for the year ahead. They should not be made to wait until the budget on March 3 before knowing if there business will be viable or not. We need answers now.”