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Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke MP, and the Minister responsible for business rates addressed the All Party Small Shops Group today in Westminster to discuss business rates in light of the Chancellor’s announcements in last week’s Autumn Financial Statement.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke MP will address the All Party Parliamentary Small Shops today on the Government’s action on business rates and support for small shops.

Simon Danczuk MP, Chairman of the Small Shops Group, said: “I am pleased the Minister is taking the time to speak to the Small Shops Group about business rates. We saw the Chancellor make a number of announcements in the Autumn Statement, but small shops are keen to understand more about what the Government’s commitment to long term reform will mean to them.”

On Friday (5th Dec), Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate in Surrey, popped in to his local shop to visit leading independent retailers, Dean and Russell Holborn, to discuss some of the key issues that have recently been affecting their business. Whilst there, Mr Blunt took advantage of Holborn’s Christmas offerings to order his Christmas tree and turkey.

Announcing business rates reform was the easy bit. Now the Chancellor has to work out what changes to this £26bn tax revenue stream will be fairer, pro-growth, fiscally responsible and popular.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the Chancellor's announcement in today's Autumn Statement on reform of the business rates system. During his Statement, the Chancellor announced the following measures as taken from the Autumn Statement document:

The Association of Convenience Stores, a trade association of over 33,500 shops representing an industry worth over £37bn to the economy, has called for the following measures to make the business rates system fairer ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement today:

ACS has welcomed the Home Office’s simplified personal licence renewal application process for retailers prior to the implementation of the Deregulation Bill in early 2015. On Friday (28^th November), the Home Office confirmed that they would be simplifying the renewal procedure for licensees who need to renew their personal licences between now and early 2015.

Two new guidance documents have been launched today by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) to support retailers and police in the fight against crime.

Launched as part of the Home Office’s Crime Prevention Panel, the guidance is aimed at the prevention of fuel theft and issues surrounding the operation of self scan tills.

ACS has published a guide for convenience retailers on how to display men's lifestyle magazines. The Guide is designed to assist retailers in understanding best practice and how to comply with the longstanding industry code of practice. The guidance has been published as part of ACS' on-going commitment to deliver on the Prime Minister's challenge to reduce the exposure of children to sexualised imagery.

The Periodical Publishers Association has published a code of practice on the sale of these titles. The guidelines are available below, along with the ACS guide in full.

ACS has called on HM Treasury to set out a clear plan of communications and engagement with retailers ahead of the transition to the new £1 coin in 2017.