Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said:
“All our high streets have faced extortionate rises in rents by some landlords, as well as high business rates. The increased popularity of online shopping and the juxtaposition to Westfield, one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe, has meant that less shopping is done in the high street. Unfortunately, this has resulted in many independent high street shops, bars and restaurants closing.
“We welcome the Chancellor’s decision to cut business rates by a third for all retailers with a rateable value of £51,000 or less, which could mean an annual saving of up to £8,000 per annum for up to 90 per cent of all independent shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes. I hope the Chancellor’s measures are not too little or too late.
“We also welcome the Chancellor’s announcement to create the ‘Future High Streets Fund’ but we will have to wait to see how this will be allocated, as always, the devil is in the detail.
“We will continue to work with small and medium businesses, and the Hounslow and Brentford Chambers of Commerce to do all we can to support businesses in Hounslow.”
