Night‑time traders across England have voiced anger at the Treasury's decision to grant only pubs and live‑music venues a 15 % cut in business rates from 1 April, a relief worth an average of £1,650 per licence. The move, announced on Tuesday, left cafés, restaurants, gyms, pharmacies and other night‑time operators out of the scheme, prompting complaints that the government is “suffocating employment opportunities” and that the relief is a drop in the ocean compared with rising costs. UKHospitality’s chair Kate Nicholls called the support “narrowly targeted” and warned that without broader measures restaurants and hotels would face “increasingly tough decisions on business viability, jobs and prices for consumers”. Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the sector has been “savaged by rising business rates, VAT, alcohol duty, employment costs and licensing fees”. Henry Gregg of the National Pharmacy Association warned that the rate hike could push independent community pharmacies “to the brink of collapse”. Huw Edwards of ukactive criticised the omission of gyms and leisure facilities, noting their role in driving physical activity and high‑street renewal. The Treasury will review hotel rates methodology and conduct a parallel review for pubs, but no other sector has received a formal offer of support yet.

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