Somerset campsite hits by 2,700% business rate increase
Family-run campsite in Cheddar struggles with drastic rate hike decision
A family-run campsite in rural Somerset has seen its business rate bill rise by a “catastrophic” 2,700 per cent.
Jules Sayer owns the Petruth Paddocks campsite off Labourham Way in Cheddar, at the southern edge of the village and within easy reach of the Strawberry Line long-distance active travel route.
The campsite welcomes more over 20,000 visitors a year and supports more than 50 local jobs, as well as supporting other local businesses like the Cider Barn in Draycott.
The business seen its annual bill go up from £1,070 to £28,820- which Wells and Mendip Hills MP Tessa Munt described as “a kicking” during a recent House of Commons debate.
Business rates are set by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and are collected by Somerset Council on behalf of the Treasury.
The government decides on an annual basis how much of the funding can be retained by local authorities to pay for public services, such as fixing potholes or providing social care for vulnerable adults.
Ms Munt (who also represents the Wells division on Somerset Council) raised the campsite’s plight in the House of Commons on Thursday (October 15).
She said: “I have been contacted by Petruth Paddocks, a family-run camping business on the outskirts of Cheddar, which welcomes more than 20,000 visitors a year and supports more than 50 jobs.
“Its business rates liability this year has increased by almost 2,700 per cent, from £1,070 per annum to £28,820 per annum, with no meaningful warning and no chance to plan for this catastrophic hike.
“Will a Treasury minister or the secretary of state meet me to discuss what can be done in rural Somerset, where so many businesses depend on hospitality and tourism? They really cannot take this kind of kicking.”
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds MP responded: “Those are obviously dramatic figures – I assume that they have happened through revaluation.
“I will endeavour to get the honourable lady in contact perhaps with the Treasury, rather than this department, to support her constituency.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP will be visiting Ms Munt’s constituency on October 24 to meet with local businesses to discuss this and other issues in more detail.
Those wishing to attend for free should sign up by visiting: www.eventbrite.com/e/daisy-cooper-mp-and-tessa-munt-mp-talk-business-tickets-1998881185434.
Ms Munt added: “Time and again, people running rural businesses tell me their business rates are becoming untenable.
“How on Earth are tourism and hospitality businesses meant to continue trading when the government hikes their rates to such astronomical levels?
“I’ve raised this issue in the House of Commons and will press Treasury ministers to ensure rural businesses are supported, not penalised in this way.”