Business rates cut for pubs, clubs and music venues in England only ‘a small move’, say critics

Hospitality businesses call on Andy Burnham to cut VAT and extend help to hotels and restaurants Pubs, clubs and live music venues in England will receive a 20% discount on their business rates bills as part of a £100m aid package but Andy Burnham has immediately faced calls to be more ambitious. The prime minister said the measure, aimed at supporting the high street and easing cost of living pressures, would be fully funded, including through a review of relief for businesses deemed not to make a positive contribution to communities, such as vape shops. Other cost of living measures announced this week – capping bus fares at £2 and cutting VAT on electricity bills – have prompted questions about how they will be funded, leaving the new administration under pressure to set out the detail of its plans. Burnham, who took office on Monday, has promised to give people “more breathing space” on living costs through a series of policy interventions, as he attempts to demonstrate to an often sceptical public that the government can deliver meaningful change. Speaking on Thursday, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said Burnham’s early policy announcement had left her thi