HOUSE OF COMMONS

Office of Sam Tarry MP 

Member of Parliament for Ilford South 

HOUSE OF COMMONS  

London SW1A 0AA 

6th January 2021  

By email  

Dear Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy,  

I am writing to you on behalf of the Manager of the Ilford Business Improvement District, Cyril Bekoe, and  various business stakeholders across my constituency, regarding an urgent request for additional financial  support from the Government in light of the recent Tier 4 restrictions and national lockdown.  

I am told that these new restrictions are “extremely devastating to businesses which have had to close down,  those that are permitted to stay open and those that can operate a click and collect service.” More than 70% of Ilford BID stakeholder’s businesses are comprised of retail and independent business that rely heavily on  Christmas sales to bolster annual revenue. With Christmas trade snatched away at short notice and the  Government’s recent decision to call a national lockdown, alongside the longer-term impacts of the two  previous national lockdowns, tier 2, and 3, businesses in my constituency are struggling.  

Ilford BID has requested that I put forward the following support requests on their behalf:  

• The Government to extend the 1008 business rates holiday into 2021/2022 for businesses in the retail,  hospitality and leisure sectors. This will help businesses to trade and retain staff  

• The Government to extend the VAT reduction to 58 for hospitality from 1 April 2021 up to and  including 31st March 2022  

• The Government to review the current grant structure and provide a lump sum grant of up to £25,000  for retail, hospitality, beauty and leisure businesses in tier 4 across England with a rateable value of up  to and including £150,000. We ask that the financial support structures under tier 2 and 3 continue on  a monthly basis to cater for any ongoing hardship as a result of further restrictions  

• Cash grants of £10,000 are considered for businesses receiving Small Business Rate Relief  

Will the Government listen to the demands of businesses such as those represented by Ilford BID? Can  businesses expect further financial support following the latest announcement of a new national lockdown? It  is clear that more substantial measures need to be implemented immediately if we are to enable all  businesses, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises that are the backbone of our economy, to  survive and emerge stronger from this crisis.  

I look forward to hearing from you shortly. 

Yours sincerely, 

Sam Tarry MP 

MP for Ilford South

@SamTarry /SamTarryforIlfordSouth  

Sam.Tarry.MP@Parliament.uk 

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