RATES RISE PETITION

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Sign up to the fight against the proposed business rates revaluation! South Hams District Council is calling on people to join its campaign to stop the implementation of the recently announced revaluation of business premises.

Cllr Bill Hitchins, Deputy Leader of South Hams District Council has set up a petition to the Prime Minister as follows -

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to not implement an increase in valuation of business premises in the current economic climate.

"South Hams District Council, supported by its five local towns, has raised concerns with Jim Knight MP, Minister for the South West, regarding the affect of the recently announced changes in Business Rateable Values. There is real anguish at the response these announcements have had on local shop keepers; many are facing rises measured in terms of hundreds of percent. This at a time when trade is reflecting the recession, leading to the closure of many shops. The fear is that in the present difficult economic times many more local shops will close and the future of struggling market towns will be further threatened. At its full Council meeting on 29 October 2009, the Council totally endorsed the comments made in the letter to Jim Knight MP.”

The petition can be found at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/businessrate/.

The council is promoting this, with the support of our town councils, to help local businesses and residents tell the Prime Minister and the nation of the very real concerns that these increases in business rates are generating.

Cllr Bill Hitchins said: “We believe it is important for our collective voice to be heard. This issue affects everyone in the South Hams – it is not just the businesses but the local people who use those businesses who will suffer the consequences.

“Please offer your support by signing this petition and make it known to everyone that we care about our traders and the local economy.”

Council Leader Cllr John Tucker recently wrote to Jim Knight MP, Minister for the South West, calling for the revaluation decision to be reversed. In his letter Cllr Tucker spoke of the anguish of local shopkeepers at the news of the revaluations and the real fear that in the present difficult economic times, many local shops will close, further threatening the future of our market towns. His letter was endorsed by the Mayors of Dartmouth, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Totnes.