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The CBI today (Thursday) commented on the Government’s White Paper entitled Local Growth: Realising Every Place’s Potential.
John Cridland, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: On business rates “We are very concerned about the ambiguity raised around business rates in today’s announcement. If this means re-localising rates, the CBI is opposed to giving local authorities power to set these. Such a change would mean that businesses would face unknown varying levels of tax across the country. “The CBI is determined to retain the nationally set Uniform Business Rate.” This White Paper also approves 24 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) which will replace Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). On local enterprise partnerships “The White Paper brings welcome clarity to what will be established to replace RDAs. The CBI is encouraged by the economic scale of many of the approved LEP proposals. “This gives LEPs the ability to focus on business-led regional growth, through transport and planning, and by attracting inward investment and promoting key industries. “To date business has been a bit sceptical about Government’s plans because of the lack of clarity about the role to be performed and the danger of LEPs being too small. It is early days but the Government appears to have responded to these concerns.”