Business Rate Relief to be extended to all small businesses in healthcare.
10,780 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 24 April 2020; it closed on 24 October 2020. The Government responded on 5 June 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.
Business Rate Relief to be extended to all small businesses in healthcare.
To extend the business rate relief to all dental practices and medical and aesthetics clinics and any small business that’s in healthcare
To extend the business rate relief to all dental practices and medical and aesthetics clinics and any small business that’s in healthcare
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 5 June 2020; the petitions site lists the HM Treasury as responsible. Its summary:
Business rates relief is targeted at the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on them. A range of other measures to support healthcare businesses are available.
The opening 394 words of the 433-word response:
The Government is mindful of the severe impact felt by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors from recent events, and it is right to offer them exceptional assistance to meet the crisis. On the 17 March the Chancellor announced a business rates holiday for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, irrespective of rateable value, so that all eligible businesses will pay no business rates for 12 months. This unprecedented action is expected to provide almost £10 billion in business rates relief in 2020-21. This year over half of all properties in England will pay no business rates.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for Local Authorities on the implementation of the business rates holiday for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. This includes definitions of properties that will benefit from the relief, though it is for individual Local Authorities to make decisions on eligibility for the relief in their own area based on this guidance. This guidance is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-retail-discount-guidance
The Government is keenly aware that COVID-19, and the extraordinary measures that have been taken to prevent its spread, present an unprecedented challenge for businesses in many sectors, and has sympathy with all those affected. However, there are no plans for the immediate change to the guidance or the scope of reliefs. If any businesses have difficulties paying their business rates bills, they should be encouraged to contact their local authority to discuss whether other support may be available.
Any healthcare practice may already benefit from Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) where they are occupying a single property with a rateable value below £15,000. Businesses in receipt of SBRR may also be eligible for the £10,000 Small Business grant. You can find more information on grants here: https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder
NHS England has issued guidance for dentists holding or working on NHS contracts, which is clear that dentists will be fully remunerated for the NHS work they would have otherwise undertaken during the pandemic, subject to some basic requirements. This guidance applies to dentists working on wholly NHS contracts and those working on a mix of NHS and private contracts. NHS England has published a series of guidance which sets out that dental practices can also access wider Treasury support for their private dental earnings. The latest guidance, issued on 15 April, can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 643 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 170, came from Hove.
10,729 of the signatures were from the UK and 51 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Hove | 170 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 155 |
| Cities of London and Westminster | 128 |
| Sevenoaks | 109 |
| Wimbledon | 109 |
| Richmond Park | 98 |
| Hertsmere | 93 |
| Brighton, Kemptown | 91 |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 75 |
| Twickenham | 75 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 2,472 |
| London | 2,389 |
| East of England | 1,023 |
| South West | 835 |
| North West | 799 |
| West Midlands | 716 |
| Scotland | 599 |
| East Midlands | 518 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 487 |
| Wales | 314 |
| Northern Ireland | 206 |
| North East | 112 |
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/307959.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
f3e1d48f9e733c58… - 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.