THE LIBERAL Democrat Member of Parliament for Wokingham, Clive Jones, has written a letter to the Rt Hon Dan Tomlinson ahead of the Autumn Budget, calling for ‘effective as well as well-intentioned’ business rates reforms.
In his letter, the Wokingham MP raised several issues affecting small high-street businesses in the constituency with Exchequer Secretary Dan Tomlinson, the Labour MP for Chipping Barnet.
Clive Jones began by welcoming the positive intentions behind the Government’s decision in the 2024 Autumn Budget to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, leisure and hospitality properties from 2026.
However, he warned that this measure alone would not be enough for small high-street business owners in Wokingham.
In his letter, the Wokingham MP wrote: “In September, I visited a local convenience store in Wokingham and spoke with the owner Pragat Naqbal, who explained how serious this situation is for local businesses.
“Their business rates bill rose from £2,120.75 in 2024/25 to £5,089.80 for 2025/26, due to the reduction in Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief from 75% to 40%.”
Clive Jones then called for the new business rates multipliers to be set at 20p lower to offset the impacts of anticipated increases in rateable values.
The Wokingham MP also urged the Exchequer Secretary to confirm if the Government is planning to uprate the thresholds for Small Business Rate Relief as a part of the 2026 revaluation.
The Member of Parliament for Wokingham, Clive Jones, said: “Local small businesses are a vital asset in our community, which is why the Government must do more to protect business owners like Pragat in the upcoming Autumn Budget.
“The Government must ensure that business rates reforms are effective as well as well-intentioned if local businesses in Wokingham are to continue to access the support keeping their doors open.”
