David Chadwick - business rates revaluation “hammer blow” to Mid Wales' businesses

David Chadwick, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, has condemned the latest business rates revaluation as a “hammer blow” to local high streets, rural enterprises and hospitality businesses across mid-Wales.

The revaluation, which has seen sharp increases in rateable values for a number of small and medium-sized firms, is already having a tangible impact on communities across Powys and the Swansea Valley. Independent shops, family-run pubs, tourism operators and agricultural suppliers have reported steep rises in their bills, threatening jobs and investment at a time when many are still recovering from years of economic instability and rising costs.

Local businesses in market towns such as Brecon, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells and Ystradgynlais have warned that higher business rates will force them to scale back opening hours, delay hiring plans or, in some cases, consider closure. In rural constituencies like Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, where margins are often tight and footfall seasonal, sudden increases in fixed costs can be the difference between survival and shutting the doors for good.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have argued that the revaluation process has failed to properly reflect the fragile state of many high streets and rural economies. They are calling for urgent mitigation measures, including enhanced relief for small businesses and hospitality, and a fundamental review of how non-domestic rates are calculated in sparsely populated areas.

Chadwick also criticised the UK Government for what he described as a “blame-shifting exercise” by leaving local councils to collect higher bills despite councils having had no say over the revaluation decisions by the UK Labour Government.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said:

“This revaluation is a hammer blow to hardworking local businesses across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe. At a time when shopkeepers, publicans and tourism operators are battling soaring energy costs, staffing pressures and reduced footfall, the last thing they need is a sudden spike in their rates bill.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our rural economy. They create jobs, sustain our high streets and underpin our tourism offer. Slapping them with higher fixed costs risks hollowing out our town centres and damaging communities that are already under strain.

“What makes this worse is the way the Government is trying to muddy the waters. Local councils are being left to collect these increased rates, even though they had no role in setting the policy or determining the revaluation. It looks like a deliberate attempt to confuse people and shift the blame onto local authorities.

“That is not fair on councils, and it is not honest with businesses. Ministers need to take responsibility for their decisions, provide meaningful relief and urgently rethink a system that is clearly not working for rural Wales.”

ENDS