Leading authors and booksellers are pushing Prime Minister Andy Burnham to include independent bookshops in his emergency support package for Britain’s struggling high streets.
More than 200 booksellers, alongside some of the UK’s most celebrated writers, have written directly to Burnham demanding urgent action on soaring business rates bills.
The signatories argue that bookshops should receive the same treatment as pubs and live music venues, which Burnham moved to protect with rates relief shortly after entering Downing Street.
The letter was backed by prominent authors including Maggie O’Farrell, who wrote the bestselling novel Hamnet, and Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series.
“Following the announcement of new relief for pubs, clubs and live music venues, we were deeply disappointed to learn that bookshops would not be included,” the letter states.
“The government has accepted that businesses which deliver significant community benefit deserve targeted support. Bookshops clearly meet that test.”
Government officials acknowledged “the important role that bookshops play in communities across the country and the contribution they make to local high streets” when pressed on why bookshops were excluded from the rates package.
The Treasury maintains that bookshops already benefit from lower business rates multipliers and temporary caps on how much those taxes can rise, but authors say this falls far short of what is needed.
Independent bookshops face annual tax hikes of £4,563 by 2029/30, meaning they would need to sell 1,141 additional books just to cover the increased cost, according to the campaign’s organisers.
The Booksellers Association, which has coordinated the campaign, projects that total business rates receipts paid by independent booksellers will rise by 35 per cent to £5.65m by the end of the decade.
Authors say they are becoming “increasingly frustrated” by Labour’s claims of supporting the retail sector, insisting that “is not the reality facing independent bookshops.”
Many smaller bookshops are not eligible for the full business rates relief offered to small businesses, and temporary reliefs on the tax are due to expire before the end of the decade.
Adam Kay, the former doctor and bestselling author of This Is Going to Hurt, said it was “really welcome news that the government will be supporting pubs and live music venues — all hugely important parts of our communities.”
“But bookshops are too, and right now they need the same helping hand,” Kay added, lending his public profile to the campaign.
Burnham has recently announced plans to crack down on vape shops, gambling centres and other “rogue operators” on British high streets, but critics say positive support is equally essential.
The Booksellers Association told the Prime Minister he must urgently explain how he will “address the other half of the equation” by actively backing businesses that contribute genuine value to local communities.
The trade body argues bookshops are vital community assets, regularly hosting local events and playing a meaningful role in boosting literacy rates across the country.