Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure Hereditament) Regulations 2025

Motion to Take Note

Moved by

That the Grand Committee takes note of the Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure Hereditament) Regulations 2025.

It is probably illegitimate to talk for more than a couple of minutes after that debate, but I want to thank everybody, particularly the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Rolfe, who neatly incorporated some recording studio references into her broader remarks. I thank her for that.

I suppose the depressing thing—I am inured to disappointment after quite a few years in this House—is that the Minister said that the Government have retained the same approach. One would hope that a new Government would have a new approach to these things, but I take some comfort from the fact that he specifically said that, even though he did not agree that recording or artists’ studios could be brought within the kind of exemption that film studios have, reliefs are kept under review.

The second and, I thought, most important aspect is that the Minister has reaffirmed his willingness to meet to talk about the VOA aspects and the valuation basis for some of these cultural assets. I very much hope that, following the debate today, he will take the initiative in setting up a meeting with a number of us, spearheaded by the famous B operator. There is certainly quite a lot of sentiment on his own Benches, which I am sure he has noticed, that we should find some solutions in this area, even if he cannot be specific at this point. The music industry has huge support across the House, on every Bench, and I very much hope he will respond at the meeting in whatever way he can. Certainly, the first step would be if he could organise that with most of us who have taken part in the debate.

In the meantime, I move my Motion. It is a take-note Motion, which I believe is uncontroversial, but at least it shows that we have put a marker down.

Motion agreed.