"There has to be a breaking point and this might be it. That's not to say that businesses don't want to pay the proper wages. My experience with every business I speak to, all the members that I represent, is they all want good people and they're willing to pay good money for that but if they also have to pay these higher business rates, which are... astronomical you could say, then something has to give."
"We took part in a campaign where we made it very clear what, as a sector, we needed to be able to survive and I just feel like the government heard us and ignored us again. There are key things that they could do to help us reduce our costs and they've chosen to ignore all of those and have just put in place kind of piecemeal things that really won't make a difference to us."
From April, minimum wage rises increase pay for 18-20 year olds to £10.85 and for those over 21 to £12.71. Properties valued above £500,000 will face higher business rates. The combined effect of wage rises, higher National Insurance, and increased business rates is creating significant cost pressure for many firms, particularly in central London. Many businesses report that the simultaneous increases could force pauses in recruitment and undermine viability for small operators. Several operators express frustration that targeted cost-reduction measures for the sector were not implemented, leaving them concerned about survival and staffing.
Read at www.bbc.com
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