Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that rural and coastal self‑catering and tourism businesses in Devon are adequately supported in the context of (a) increased business rates, (b) rising energy costs, and (c) increased wage and National Insurance contribution pressures.
DCMS recognises the vital contribution that rural and coastal self-catering and tourism businesses make to the economy of Devon.On business rates, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills following the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. The Government has also protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by more than doubling the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. That means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change in 2025/26. We are also continuing to develop policies to bring down electricity costs relative to gas for the non-domestic sector and intend to consult on options to reduce costs and make low carbon heat the economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses.DCMS and VisitBritain are actively working to boost visitor numbers and extend the tourism season for coastal and rural operators. The ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign uses the UK’s film and television heritage to drive international visitors into rural destinations, increasing the profile of areas where many self-catering businesses are located.The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will cement these measures, providing a long term plan to increase visitor flows, maximise sector value, and deliver sustainable growth for our coastal and rural communities.