George Freeman highlights the impact of the cost of living crisis and the Government’s taxes attack on jobs and small businesses on rural Mid Norfolk. He calls on the Government to diverting money from rural areas to cities and instead allow rural councils to keep the proceeds of their growth and incentivise them to support rural businesses.
George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)
The villages and towns of Mid Norfolk are reeling from the cost of living crisis and the Government’s taxes attack on jobs and small businesses. Rather than taxing rural areas and spending the money in the cities, may I suggest that Ministers allow rural councils to keep the proceeds of their growth and incentivise them to support businesses out in our rural communities, rather than allowing the Government to milk rural areas to spend the money in cities?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)
I cannot accept the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation. This Government’s decisions—whether on the support going into rural communities and rural policing, or the different business rates reductions—show that we want to support businesses in those communities to thrive, and we will continue to do so.