Treasury launches review of pub and hotel business rates amid industry pressure

The Treasury announced that Jerry Schurder, a former business-rates policy lead at Newmark UK, will head a comprehensive review of the valuation system used for pubs and hotels in England and Wales, with a report slated for March 2027. The inquiry aims to reassess the current reliance on the Fair Maintainable Trade measure, which ties a pub’s rate bill to its turnover, and will gather feedback from landlords, hoteliers and other business owners.

The move comes after the government introduced a 20% reduction in rates for pubs, social clubs and live-music venues in England, building on a 15% cut earlier this year, as the British Beer and Pub Association recorded 161 pub closures and roughly 2,400 jobs lost in the first quarter. Industry groups such as the BBPA, Federation of Small Businesses and British Retail Consortium welcomed the review but urged wider reforms, including raising the small-business relief threshold.

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride criticised the timing, while Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper called for additional tax-relief measures. Findings are expected to feed into the next nationwide rates revaluation due in 2029 and may shape eligibility rules to be clarified in the upcoming autumn Budget.