Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Small Businesses: Rural Areas

Thursday 21 May 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is taking steps to ensure business support accounts for rural needs in England.
  • The Government has introduced permanently lowered business rates multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, benefiting over 750,000 businesses.
  • The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' rural taskforce is examining challenges faced by businesses in rural areas and providing support through growth hubs across the UK.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tessa Munt Lib Dem Wells and Mendip Hills
Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question addresses the need to support small and microbusinesses in England's rural areas, which face unique challenges.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support small and microbusinesses in rural areas?

Answer from Peter Kyle

Ensuring that business support takes account of rural needs is incredibly important for this Government. Around one in six people live in rural areas in England, with over 520,000 businesses contributing £259 billion to the English economy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Steps his Department is taking to support small and microbusinesses in rural areas

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Q2 Tessa Munt Lib Dem Wells and Mendip Hills
Economy Business & Trade
Context

A constituent named Jason runs a local venue called The Cider Barn which has seen its business rates increase significantly, affecting his operating costs.

Question

My constituent Jason runs The Cider Barn in the village of Draycott just outside Cheddar, facing a massive increase in business rates from £100 to £600 per month. This shock makes it hard for micro and small businesses to survive. Given its importance to the local community, what can the Minister say—and importantly do—to assure small businesses like Jason's that they will be supported by this Government?

Answer from Peter Kyle

The hon. Lady's constituent requires multiple types of support from this Government, which he is getting through permanently lowered business rates multiplier for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, benefiting over 750,000 businesses worth nearly £1 billion. Just this week, legislation has been introduced to tackle late payments for small businesses, injecting another £11 billion into the economy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions addressing Jason's business rates issue were not provided

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Q3 Perran Moon Lab Camborne and Redruth
Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs Local Government
Context

Cornwall has relied on EU objective 1 funding and shared prosperity funding, both of which have ended, leaving small businesses without support.

Question

Over 95% of Cornish businesses are small or microbusinesses. These innovative and agile businesses were supported by European Union objective 1 funding and shared prosperity funding, both now ended, with no chance for Cornwall to join an English mayoral combined authority. How can the Minister outline how we can protect these businesses?

Answer from Peter Kyle

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' rural taskforce is taking a strategic view of the challenges faced by businesses in rural areas. The business growth service includes growth hubs across the UK supporting businesses in rural areas so that they can get the growth they need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to support Cornish small businesses post-EU funding were not provided

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