<p>Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 8 November 2016.

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Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 1:40, 8 November 2016

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. The leader of the house and I attended a protest in Cowbridge, but, I’ve been to many towns over the last fortnight, and it seems there have been examples coming time and time again of, certainly, secondary retail properties and also hospitality areas that seem to have done pretty poorly under this revaluation, and many are facing a huge increase in their rateable values, well over 100 per cent in many instances.

I hear what you say about the measures that the Welsh Government has put on the table, and they are welcome. But it does seem, certainly in the transition, should the consultation be taken forward by the Minister to the new regime in April 2018, unless more is done in this current budget round to offer more assistance to some of those businesses that find themselves on the wrong end of these valuations, they just aren’t going to be around in April 2018. Can you offer any comfort to the businesses that do find themselves bearing these huge increases in their rateable values, that the budget process will look at trying to release additional funding to enable a softer landing for many of these businesses in the new era of business rates?