A TRADERS’ group has welcomed financial help on its way for businesses which saw their rates bills spike back in April.

In the March Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £300m of relief for those hardest hit by an adjustment of business rates earlier this year.

Next week, Bradford Council is set to sign off on a West Yorkshire-wide scheme to dish out the cash, which will be worth nearly £1m in the Bradford district this year.

But the Bradford District Chamber of Trade has urged the authorities to get the help in place as a matter of urgency, as some businesses are already feeling the strain.

Chamber of Trade secretary Val Summerscales said the General Election had delayed the support scheme and any businesses which had seen their rates jump were already paying higher bills, leaving some facing cash-flow difficulties.

She said: “Presumably, they get it back by getting a reduction later on, but that didn’t help them to pay a very large increase right at the outset.”

Under the scheme, small and medium-size businesses facing large increases in their bills would have half the increase subsidised this year, to smooth the transition.

More than 2,000 Bradford businesses would benefit this year, according to Council estimates, and further support could also be available in future years.

A report going before the Executive on Tuesday, by Bradford Council’s assistant director for revenues, benefits and payroll, Martin Stubbs, sheds light on the cause of the delays.

The report says that the Government had first said it would not be revealing key details about the four-year relief scheme until after the General Election, but later changed its mind, “leaving councils with little time to implement”.

It adds: “Some businesses in Bradford are facing steep rises in their business rates and should already have paid a quarter of this year’s bill.

“Awarding this relief by 1 July, 2017, is therefore vital to support the business community.”

The rateable values of business properties are adjusted every five years to reflect changes in the property market.

This year’s valuation has worked in the favour of most companies in Bradford, but there are still “a significant number” of local businesses who saw their bills go up rather than down, according to the Council report.

Mrs Summerscales also warned local companies not to be taken in by “opportunists” offering to help them challenge business rate increases for a fee.

She said the Chamber encouraged its members to either lodge an appeal themselves, for free, or seek the advice of a reputable local surveyor, who she said would have a better understanding of the property market in West Yorkshire.