Ealing Council has debated the impact of national insurance contributions and business rates on the local economy, urging government action to support local businesses. Councillors are concerned about the impact of recent national policy changes, including adjustments to employer national insurance and business rates relief.
The council meeting on 21 October 2025, which can be found in the Public reports pack, addressed concerns raised by both the opposition and majority groups regarding national economic policies.
The opposition motion, detailed in the Conservative Motion, focused on the impact of national government tax and business rates decisions on the local economy. The motion highlighted the increase in Employers' National Insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.2 percentage points from 6 April 2025, and the reduction in business rates relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure from 75 per cent to 40 per cent from 1 April 2025.
As a means of mitigating the impact of national policies on local businesses, the opposition motion called on the council to cancel the Stop and Shop+
scheme and reinstate unregistered Stop and Shop
parking. The reasoning behind this request is not explicitly stated in the provided meeting information, but it is part of their effort to address the harm being caused to local high streets.
The motion also urged Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of Ealing Council, to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, condemning the harm being caused to local high streets in Ealing Borough and advocating for the Conservative Party policy to abolish business rates for high street shops and pubs.