Rural drivers face fuel station fall-out

For most people living in rural areas a car or a motor-cycle is virtually essential. Whatever we might wish for, public transport cannot provide comparable services available to those who live in cities or major towns.

So for rural drivers access to a petrol or diesel pump within a few miles from home is a key necessity for twenty first century living. Within a decade or two we may have forsaken fossil fuels to power our cars, but for now we rely on filling stations every few miles to be able to fill up to lead our daily lives.

This may become much more difficult if the latest Labour tax wheeze gets its way.

Last month I uncovered a little known consequence of the revaluation of Business Rates due to come into force from April, which now threatens many of the 2,200 remaining independent filling stations. Some in the Ludlow constituency are facing increases in their rates bills of over 250 per cent.

The extra rates demanded will force many filling stations to cut jobs, some say they will stop selling fuel and some may be forced to close.

Twice last month I tackled the Minister responsible directly in the House of Commons. She claimed there was a maximum increase for businesses well below what the Valuation Office Agency have proposed. I secured a meeting for later this month to give her evidence, which several petrol station owners have given me, of demands for crippling business rates increases.

If the Government does not back down, rural drivers may well find they have to drive many more miles to fill up. This speaks volumes both about Labour's incompetent administration of its own rules, and its complete lack of understanding of the cost of living in the countryside.