This government recognises the importance of our treasured museums, libraries and leisure centres in providing free and low-cost activities for families during the school holidays.

This government is providing billions over this Spending Review period to support our celebrated cultural institutions, such as National Museums or to Libraries via the Libraries Improvement Fund, to ensure cultural activity is accessible to all.

This builds on the existing VAT refund scheme (VAT 33a) available to museums and galleries that offer free admission, and a VAT cultural exemption scheme for eligible bodies that removes the VAT from ticket sales.

DCMS has also committed £400 million to transform sports and leisure facilities over the next four years to promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion for all.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office (VO), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government.

At the Budget, the VO announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills.

The Government has also introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties.

Recognising the value they bring and the challenges they face, in addition to the support announced at Budget, the Government has introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27. For the following two years, their bills will then be frozen in real terms.

The Government recognises that hotels have expressed concerns about how they are valued for business rates. Hotels valuations are undertaken in a different way to some other sectors. The methodology used is well established, but, as with pubs, the Government has announced it will review the way hotels are valued to ensure it accurately reflects the rental value for these sectors.

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Barnham for asylum accommodation. If taken forward as asylum accommodation, MoD Barnham will provide functional accommodation and would be designed to be as self-sufficient as possible including laundry facilities and communal spaces.

At the Budget, the VO announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills.

The Government also introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties.

In addition to the support announced at Budget, the Government understands that pubs have been under huge pressure over recent years. Recognising the value they bring and the challenges they face, the Government has introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27. For the following two years, their bills will then be frozen in real terms.

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex, home to attractions including the historic Bluebell Railway and the iconic South Downs.

DCMS collaborates closely with VisitEngland and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network - including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP - to embed the distinct needs of coastal and rural tourism into national policy. Locally, the Sussex and Brighton LVEP bridges the public and private sectors to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Through VisitBritain’s ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, we are showcasing the UK’s film and TV locations, like the Bluebell Railway featured in The Women in Black and Downton Abbey, to global audiences while promoting diverse experiences available across all regions.

To support domestic tourism, VisitEngland launched the latest phase of its ongoing coastal campaign in June. The ‘My coast has the most…’ campaign calls on voices from across the tourism industry to take part in a nationwide social media activation, sharing short videos that celebrate what makes their local coastlines special and inspiring people to visit this summer and beyond.

Through a temporary VAT cut on eligible attractions, the Great British Summer Savings Scheme drives family footfall and provides vital support to seasonal tourism businesses over the summer months.

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex, home to attractions including the historic Bluebell Railway and the iconic South Downs.

DCMS collaborates closely with VisitEngland and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network - including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP - to embed the distinct needs of coastal and rural tourism into national policy. Locally, the Sussex and Brighton LVEP bridges the public and private sectors to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Through VisitBritain’s ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, we are showcasing the UK’s film and TV locations, like the Bluebell Railway featured in The Women in Black and Downton Abbey, to global audiences while promoting diverse experiences available across all regions.

To support domestic tourism, VisitEngland launched the latest phase of its ongoing coastal campaign in June. The ‘My coast has the most…’ campaign calls on voices from across the tourism industry to take part in a nationwide social media activation, sharing short videos that celebrate what makes their local coastlines special and inspiring people to visit this summer and beyond.

Through a temporary VAT cut on eligible attractions, the Great British Summer Savings Scheme drives family footfall and provides vital support to seasonal tourism businesses over the summer months.

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex, home to attractions including the historic Bluebell Railway and the iconic South Downs.

DCMS collaborates closely with VisitEngland and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network - including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP - to embed the distinct needs of coastal and rural tourism into national policy. Locally, the Sussex and Brighton LVEP bridges the public and private sectors to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Through VisitBritain’s ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign, we are showcasing the UK’s film and TV locations, like the Bluebell Railway featured in The Women in Black and Downton Abbey, to global audiences while promoting diverse experiences available across all regions.

To support domestic tourism, VisitEngland launched the latest phase of its ongoing coastal campaign in June. The ‘My coast has the most…’ campaign calls on voices from across the tourism industry to take part in a nationwide social media activation, sharing short videos that celebrate what makes their local coastlines special and inspiring people to visit this summer and beyond.

Through a temporary VAT cut on eligible attractions, the Great British Summer Savings Scheme drives family footfall and provides vital support to seasonal tourism businesses over the summer months.

The £110,000 cash cap was a feature of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief under the previous Government.

Information on the £110,000 cash cap for the RHL relief can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-relief-202526-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-scheme#part-4-sample-paragraphs-that-could-be-included-in-letters-to-ratepayers-about-the-202526-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-relief-scheme-and-the-110000-cash-capsmall-amounts-of-financial-assistance-subsidy

The Chancellor’s 2026 Budget increased the level of business rates paid by warehouses such as those used by online giants. That revenue was used to help with lower business rates for retail and hospitality businesses.

Between 2026-27 and 2028-29, the Government is expecting to raise an additional £270 million from distribution warehouses, through the new business rates high-value multiplier. This amounts to £90 million per year. The additional revenue is directly supporting over 750,000 in-person retail, hospitality and leisure properties through lower multipliers. This costing accounts for future backdated changes to the rating lists, but not for behavioural effects.

The costing for total revenue raised through the high-value multiplier, which has been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, was adjusted downwards to account for the potential impact on appeals, behavioural changes and non-compliance.

This information was included in the Change in rateable value of rating lists, 2026 Revaluation publication for England and Wales.

Tourism is vital to Chester South and Eddisbury’s economy. From Snugburys and the Ice Cream Farm to BeWILDerwood and Beeston castle, we are fortunate to have fantastic attractions, and I encourage the Minister to visit them. But as one business told me following the Government’s summer savings announcement:

“It feels a bit like having £100 taken off you, then being given £30 back and being expected to be grateful”.

The scheme is a drop in the ocean compared with the costs imposed by this Government’s damaging policies. Will the Minister tell those businesses what more she is doing to support the sector, not just for the summer but for the long term?

I know that my colleague has been working incredibly hard on this issue, and I wish the theatre the very best of luck for next week.

Next week Stafford’s Gatehouse theatre will launch its annual Shakespeare festival with Richard III. Last year we had over 180,000 visitors. I know that the Government are committed to cultural venues. They have put £1.5 billion into supporting them, but please can the Minister tell me what more the Government are doing to support local theatres, and would they like to attend the gala night with me next week to get away from all the drama?

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his place; I know that he is a big champion for his constituency and the issue. As I outlined, I met with the tourism sector a number of times just in the last week. We do recognise the challenges it is facing, but we back the sector.

Soaring taxes are putting visitors off coming to the UK—that is what the boss of British Airways says. Does the Minister agree?

I will take no lessons from the hon. Gentleman, given the inheritance from the previous Conservative Government. If he had been paying any attention—I know he does not usually sit on the Front Bench—he would know that I have indeed committed to increasing visitor numbers. I regret his talking down our tourism industry, especially with the Isle of Wight festival starting today. It is going from strength to strength and I wish it the very best of luck.

Oh dear, that is not an answer to the question I asked. My question was about the tax burden on the tourism sector in this country. National insurance is up, and we have new taxes on part-time work. An overnight visitor levy is in the pipeline, and there are extra taxes on air passengers and ferry passengers. This Government’s assault on the Great British holiday has been brutal. It is no wonder young people are struggling to find their first job. Will the Minister recommit to the Government’s target to have 50 million international visitors to the UK by 2030, and will she tell the Chancellor to cut the brutal tax regime in order to get us there?

Tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including in Cheshire. VisitBritain’s “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign is showcasing a range of film and TV locations, such as Lyme Park, to global audiences, while our Great British summer savings scheme is encouraging family visits, supporting businesses dependent on summer footfall with a temporary VAT cut on eligible attractions.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the tourism and leisure sectors.