Make nurseries exempt from business rates to support the childcare sector
11,220 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 5 March 2020; it closed on 5 September 2020. The Government responded on 2 April 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 June 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Make nurseries exempt from business rates to support the childcare sector
After owning nurseries for 29 years I have never experienced such damaging times for the sector with rising costs not being met by the funding rates available. Business Rates are a large drain on the sector and can mean the difference between nurseries being able to stay open and having to close.
Early years education has endured more than enough hardship, closures, job losses by the government letting us down by not supporting the industry in the way it should be. The Government is putting money into early years through funded hours – which doesn’t cover costs – but then takes this back through business rates. This system needs changing. Private and voluntary run nurseries are being slaughtered. It’s enough now.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 2 April 2020; the petitions site lists the HM Treasury as responsible. Its summary:
Nurseries in England will pay no business rates this year.
The response in full:
In response to COVID-19, on 18 March the Chancellor announced that non-local authority providers of childcare in England will benefit from a business rates holiday for one year from 1 April.
Properties that will be eligible for the holiday will be those occupied by providers on Ofsted’s Early Years Register and are wholly or mainly used for the provision of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Guidance for local authorities on the business rates holiday for nurseries is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-nursery-childcare-discount-2020-to-2021-coronavirus-response-local-authority-guidance
Any queries should be directed to the relevant local authority. Local authorities will be fully compensated for the cost of this measure. Business rates are devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
HM Treasury
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 623 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 173, came from Rutland and Melton.
11,190 of the signatures were from the UK and 30 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Rutland and Melton | 173 |
| Grantham and Stamford | 168 |
| Bristol South | 145 |
| Isle of Wight | 97 |
| Romford | 93 |
| Chorley | 90 |
| Corby | 84 |
| North West Cambridgeshire | 80 |
| Plymouth, Moor View | 80 |
| Peterborough | 77 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 1,704 |
| South East | 1,672 |
| South West | 1,476 |
| London | 1,258 |
| East of England | 1,164 |
| East Midlands | 1,118 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,031 |
| West Midlands | 826 |
| North East | 327 |
| Wales | 113 |
| Scotland | 105 |
| Northern Ireland | 76 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 June 2020. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/300210.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
c41a47b4ce914ea2… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.