THE Budget proposals, particularly business rates cuts for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, were greeted with what was described as ‘a cautious welcome’ in West Somerset this week.

“Of course, the 50 per cent cuts in business rates is welcomed but as with all budgets it will be what is written in the small print that matters,” said Graham Sizer, chairman of Minehead Business Improvement District (BID), which represents the town’s holiday traders. “Normally it’s these that counter what we read in the headlines.”

Mr Sizer added: “Our argument that there is a need for a fundamental root-and-branch change to business rates hasn’t gone away and we are all waiting to see when any government is going to address the big online retail tax dodgers who can undercut any bricks-and-mortar retailer.”

The rate cuts were welcomed by hard-pressed pub and hotel owners. One Minehead proprietor, who asked not to be named, said: “It has been touch and go whether we would survive and anything that cuts our outgoings is good news in the fight to keep afloat.”

Local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said: “I know a lot of proprietors are still going to find themselves with a disappointing set of figures at the end of the financial year but this should give them some confidence to start rebuilding and recovering.

“At the same time I hope the cuts in alcohol duty have come in time to avoid the closure of any more West Somerset country pubs. They represent a sector which has suffered particularly dreadfully during the lockdowns and where the casualty rate has been disastrously high.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said that as chairman of the Parliamentary Cider Committee he welcomed the proposals to cut cider duty by five per cent - the largest since 1923.

He said the cuts in duty would particularly help small local cider-makers. “In recent years, Somerset has attracted a bevy of skilled and enthusiastic recruits who are already producing some really exciting products.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said he looked forward to West Somerset receiving its deserved share of the extra £44 billion allocated in the Budget for health services, the additional £4 billion for schools and £16 billion for road building and improvement.

He said the money was needed to improve poor health services, substandard roads and inadequate education facilities and added: “It is now up to us to ensure that these local deficiencies are not merely recognised but remedied as well.”