A YORK MP has raised concerns about the Government’s impending changes to business rates, and says much more needs to be done to help shop owners.

Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, claims the high cost of business rates is responsible for many shops struggling to trade across the city.

She believes the current business rate model is “broken” and that a high street shop needs to be “supported by a system that works.”

On April 1, the Government will permanently double small business rate relief (SBRR) in England, and raise the SBRR threshold in England to rateable values of up to £12,000, tapering to £15,000.

It will be welcome news to many businesses, but half a million firms will face rises of up to 300 per cent, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.

However, in some cases transitional relief may be available to reduce this.

Ms Maskell said: “The business rate model, as it stands is now a broken model and is working against local businesses.

“In the past year I have met with business owners from Acomb and elsewhere in the city who have raised concerns about the high cost of their business rates.

“One of the main problems we have in York is that business rates are based on York’s above average rents so that traders are hit twice over. They have to pay sky high rents and also large sums in business rates. This causes real hardship for many small businesses.”

Last month, Ms Maskell met with Andrew Percy, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse. She said: “I told him that once thriving shopping centres, such as Acomb, have seen a real decline in recent years and much more needs to be done to help them.”

She added: “I am disappointed that the Government’s reforms still let a great many firms, including Amazon, off the hook. Amazon will have business rates cut at most of its warehouses while high street stores are forced to pay more. This cannot be right and I think the Government needs to think again.”