Jo White

I thank my hon. Friend so much for his intervention. Like him, I can identify properties on my high streets that do exactly that—they have furniture and equipment inside, but never open their doors and are clearly empty—in order to avoid paying business rates. That definitely needs to be tackled, and I hope that the Minister has heard his concerns. I welcome the fact that my local authority, Bassetlaw district council, has been proactive about this challenge and has applied to be an early adopter of the scheme. The town centres of Harworth, Worksop and Retford would all be beneficiaries of that proposal as defined designated areas for this intervention. The local authority is a trailblazer for the programme, but as with all new projects and proposals—this is similar to the issues that my hon. Friends raised regarding Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council and Mansfield district council—they hit up against issues that could be ironed out to make the roll-out easier and smoother for other towns that are biting at the bit to begin this process. The past 14 years have left local authorities significantly cash-strapped, and the project needs to include funding to cover the cost of officer time to set up and administer this relatively complex scheme. That will inevitably put a strain on our existing resources, compromising the delivery of other projects, and may stop other councils coming forward. The designation of areas is not necessarily straightforward. My local authority has had to manage constitutional matters to institute the designated areas, which has caused delays in getting the project under way. There is no funding for the essential survey costs that must be undertaken before going to auction. The guidance states that those costs can be passed on to the end occupier should there be a successful bidder, and that this should be made clear in the auction marketing materials. There is a risk, however, as passing on the costs is likely to dampen demand. The application guidance states that refurbishment funding has been set between £40,000 and £79,000, based on the property footprint, but it is anticipated that it will be approximately £50,000 per property, which is insufficient for some properties and end users. In Worksop, for example, we have a shortage of food and drink establishments. The £40,000 to £79,000 can be used only for refurbishment, and not for a fit-out. The high cost of fitting out a catering venue will be a potential deterrent to business investment. Although the council is exploring the use of UK shared prosperity funding to enable fit-out works to take place, those funds end in March 2026, so that is not a sustainable solution. The council remains very keen to be a flagbearer for this significant proposal, which has the potential to transform our town centres, but it is also keen to be part of the problem-solving process as the roll-out begins. Will the Minister meet me and my local authority to discuss these matters further?