Independent cafes and coffee shops

That this House recognises the increasingly important contribution made by independent cafés and coffee shops to high streets across the United Kingdom, acting as community hubs and welcoming workspaces, while offering young people their valuable first job opportunity; celebrates the many specialist and charming cafés across Newbury and West Berkshire which enrich local communities and high streets; highlights analysis by Hospitality UK showing that small hospitality businesses with rateable values below £51,000 face a cumulative £318 million increase in business rates over the next three years; welcomes the Government’s recognition of the severe burden on small high street businesses and its decision to provide an additional 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues from April 2027; notes with concern, however, that independent cafés and coffee shops facing similar and prolonged financial pressures have been excluded from this targeted support; regrets that the Government’s recently announced review of business rates valuations for pubs and hotels also does not extend to cafés and other hospitality businesses; calls on the Government to extend the 20% business rates reduction to independent cafés and coffee shops and include them in any review of business rates valuations; and further calls for an emergency 5% reduction in VAT for hospitality until April 2027 to support independent businesses, protect local jobs and rejuvenate high streets and town centres.