NEWS
The Queen’s Speech: E-scooters, business rates, and levelling up
Photo by Eva Wilcock on Unsplash
May marked the start of a new parliamentary session in Westminster, and amidst all the unusual traditions and archaic outfi ts, there were some signifi cant announcements affecting retailers.
E-scooters The Government has announced plans for a new vehicle category for low-speed, zero emission modes of transport in the upcoming Transport Bill, with e-scooters likely to be the first types of vehicles included in the classification. This long-awaited announcement paves the
way for the legalisation of private-use electric scooters on public roads, a welcome move for e-scooter retailers and many transport campaigning groups. Currently, privately-owned electric scooters are banned on
the roads unless the rider has tax and insurance, while scooters can be rented through authorised e-scooter trials being run up and down the country. The Government plans to use safety data collected from these trials to inform its e-scooter legislation update.
Levelling Up Aimed to support the growth of struggling towns and cities, the Levelling Up Bill will include planning system reforms, giving local authorities greater powers to bring empty premises back into use.
Councils will be able instigate rental auctions of vacant commercial properties in town centres on high streets.
Business rates The Government said it will modernise the business rates system in England and Wales through the Non-Domestic Rating Bill, which will shorten the re-evaluation cycle for rates from five to three years, starting in 2023. This is designed to improve the accuracy of valuations.
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A new 12-month rates relief will also be introduced on increases to rateable value that arise from improvements to a business property.
Brexit Freedoms Bill In the latest update to Brexit legislation, the Government plans to make it easier to repeal EU laws that were inherited from the UK’s membership. It is not yet clear what EU laws the Government will target, but it has previously highlighted plans to cut red tape for businesses. How will the Government’s plans impact your business? Share your thoughts via email
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Chris Hall, director, the Association of Cycle Traders
“The legalisation of e-scooters on public roads would certainly provide an obvious opportunity for cycle retailers. Any changes in legislation are unlikely to come into effect quickly and therefore we would like to reiterate our stance that dealers should advise any potential customers looking to buy e-scooters about current Government legislation. It is important the industry provides, and is seen to provide, clear advice to consumers at the point of sale about where e-scooters may be legally used.
“While initiatives such as the Levelling Up Bill certainly hold potential in the growth of local economies, there is still much to be resolved in terms of the unrealistic business rates, which remains to be one of the biggest causes of empty shops on our high streets.”
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