11:28am Sunday 21st March 2010
By Alex Lewis
BUSINESSMEN are calling on St Albans District Council to use a government grant of more than £80,000 to slash rates for smaller firms.
The Forum of Private Business is urging the authority to target its £86,961 Local Authority Business Growth money to relieve rates for minor entrepreneurs, so the amount can be doubled thanks to match funding from other schemes.
Rates advisor Andrew Bacon said: "As the funds are not ring fenced, councils should use this money to pay for hardship business rate relief for struggling business.
“If the entire £50 million across Britain was used by councils to pay for hardship relief the Government would have to give them another £150 million.
"This is because the relief is 25 per cent funded by the councils and 75 per cent by the state but councils have sole discretion on granting it.”
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