Some of the key take-outs from the Queen's speech for the retail, food and hospitality sector - business rates review and other measures

A week into the new Government, while Boris is yet to 'get Brexit done' and on that front we appear again to have less rather than more certainty, we do however have a little more certainty on what legislation will be coming our way from today's Queen's speech. 

As always the devil will be in the detail, but to help you we've collected up some of the some legislation that will impact the sector.  Some of the legislation had already been announced, but others, such as the review of business rates will be widely welcomed. 

Here is what the future will hold:

Agriculture Bill

• Aims to remove farmers from the Common Agricultural Policy and replace the current subsidy system.
• Will "champion British food with a transparent and fair supply chain from farm to fork" and reward farmers for protecting the environment and delivering public goods like improved animal welfare.
• Will give powers to improve transparency and fairness in the supply chain and provide consumers with more information about how their food is produced.

Fisheries Bill

• Enshrine in primary legislation the powers to control the UK's waters and enable a new sustainable fisheries policy post-Brexit. 

Employment Bill

• Create a new, single enforcement body, offering greater protections for workers.
• Ensure that tips left for workers go to them in full.
• Introduce a new right for all workers to request a more predictable contract.
• Build on existing employment law with measures that protect those in low-paid work and the gig economy.

  Business Rates

• The Government is committed to conducting a fundamental review of business rates.
• Increase the retail discount from one-third to 50 per cent, extending that discount to cinemas and music venues, extending the duration of the local newspapers discount, and introducing an additional discount for pubs.
• Will progress legislation to bring forward the next business rates revaluation by one year from 2022 to 2021 and move business rates revaluations from a five-yearly cycle to a three-yearly cycle. This will allow the Government to press ahead with delivering reform and more frequent revaluations will ensure that business rates bills are more up-to-date reflecting properties’ current rental values.

Environment Bill

• Extend producer responsibility, ensure a consistent approach to recycling, introduce deposit return schemes, and introduce charges for specified single use plastic items.

Other Measures

• An increase in the National Living Wage, reaching two-thirds of median earnings within five years (projected to be around ￡10.50 an hour in 2024), provided economic conditions allow. The Government plans to expand the reach of the National Living Wage which currently applies to people over the ages of 25, to those aged 21 and over within five years.
• Clamp down on late payment more broadly and strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner to support small businesses that are exploited by their larger partners.
• Establish a new independent UK body, to protect UK firms against injury caused by unfair trade practices and unforeseen surges in imports post-Brexit.
• The National Infrastructure Strategy will be published alongside the first Budget, and will set out a ￡100bn investment plan.
• Thomas Cook Compensation Bill will enable the Government to administer a capped compensation scheme to support customers of Thomas Cook suffering as a result of life-changing injuries, illness or loss of life for which UK-based Thomas Cook companies would have been liable.