Part of First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 11 December 2025.
Murdo Fraser
Conservative
Hospitality and self-catering businesses across the country, which are already suffering from rising costs, are reeling this week from a rates revaluation that sees, in some cases, a threefold increase in the Bills that they are likely to face, which they simply cannot afford.
I know, and the First Minister knows, that the assessors are independent of Government, but ministers set the statutory framework—the rules, the assumptions, the timetables and the methodology—under which the assessors operate. Will the First Minister take urgent action to address the issue before yet more hospitality businesses have to close their doors?
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