Hew Edgar responds to government extending business rate relief in England

Hew Edgar, Head of RICS UK Government Relations & City Strategy, said:
 

“Extending business rate relief in England to cover estate and letting agents will give peace of mind to many RICS members who are trying to cope with the economic effects of Covid-19. While we hope devolved nations use the Barnett consequentials to follow suit - this shouldn’t be a piecemeal response to a national crisis.
 
“This week we wrote to the Prime Minister asking for the emergency support package to cover our profession – including emergency loan funding and fiscal support to allow more people to work from home.
 
“The clock is ticking, particularly for many self-employed agents facing the prospect of no financial support, but we are ready to sit down with Ministers today to get the right level of support our professionals need.”